While blood cancers known as adult histiocytic disorders are very rare and many patients do well with today’s treatments, researchers are working to improve outcomes with therapies targeted to newly discovered mutations – and they are about to begin testing immunotherapies, too. Histiocytic disorders involved overproduction of immune white cells, histiocytes, that attack tissues in … Read more
Charlotte Kelly hated having her chemotherapy port accessed, but her mother, Patrice, found a way to calm the toddler. Each time tears came, Patrice would rub her nose against Charlotte’s – and the pair would get past their fears together. Today the ritual continues, even though Charlotte’s last neuroblastoma checkup at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and … Read more
As a pediatric dentist, Jay Schwab had a clear-cut enemy: dental disease in children and adolescents, and the apprehensions they faced in the dental environment. Cavities could neither hide from his drill nor fool his X-ray machine, and plaque could easily be scraped away. Generations of patients went away smiling and in good dental health. … Read more
As more people are surviving cancer than ever before, greater attention is being focused on the cardiotoxicity of therapies and their long-term effects on the heart. Radiation therapy and a number of commonly used chemotherapy drugs can impair heart function, says Anju Nohria, MD, a cardiologist who leads the cardio-oncology program at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s … Read more
The end of active cancer treatment is a welcome arrival for most patients, but it can also be a time of concern. After seeing doctors regularly for many weeks or months, the transition to a life less cluttered with physician appointments can be unsettling. So what are the best steps to take when active treatment … Read more
In the high-stakes contest of hide-and-seek between cancer cells and the human immune system, the advantage doesn’t always lie with the body’s defenders. A new approach to treatment, known as CAR T-cell therapy, may shift that balance of power. Cancer cells conceal themselves from the immune system not by barricading themselves in an impenetrable shell, … Read more
This post originally appeared on Thriving, the Boston Children’s Hospital blog. Anna Protsiou was 5 when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2002. She remembers pain, and fruit-scented anesthesia masks that led her to stop eating cherries. She also remembers hospital arts and crafts projects. What she barely remembers is the pediatric oncologist who saved … Read more
Cancer patients often lose weight during treatment, which can limit their ability to withstand treatment and their quality of life. How can we fix this – and what role does energy metabolism play in cancer, and health overall? Those are the questions researcher Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, and his team at Dana-Farber are focused on answering. … Read more
Father’s Day may be when he says it with a card, but cancer survivor Derik Lampron will feel some of his most profound love and appreciation for his dad, Don, during the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai on Sept. 24. As they cover the famous 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Copley Square, … Read more
Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common and potentially life-threatening complication of stem cell transplants that use donor cells. It arises when the donor’s immune system cells treat the recipient’s body as foreign and raise an attack on certain organs and tissues, most often the skin, mouth, and eyes. The assault can interfere with organ … Read more
Studies show that men are often less likely than women to keep up with regular doctor’s visits, or be honest about their symptoms, which may contribute to worse health outcomes. Learn More: Make an Appointment at Dana-Farber What is Genetic Testing? Being vigilant about health care screenings is one of the best things you can … Read more
When Lauren Leonard bounces across the stage, she is in perfect harmony with the rhythm of the music. Amongst a group of other dancers, she stands out, moving with tangible energy. Dancing has been an important part of Leonard’s life since childhood. She started taking ballet lessons when she was 5, and as a teenager … Read more
Everyone’s weight fluctuates over the course of life, rising or falling with changes in diet and exercise, and with the normal slowing of metabolism that occurs as we age. When weight loss occurs for no apparent reason – especially if the drop is dramatic – a variety of physical or psychological causes could be responsible. … Read more
Both chemotherapy and antibody agents are used in the treatment of cancer. In its broadest definition, cancer chemotherapy refers to any drug that destroys cancer cells or slows their growth and reproduction. As the “chemo” in their name suggests, however, true chemotherapy agents consist of chemicals that kill fast-growing cancer cells while generally sparing slower-growing … Read more
Gaining the wisdom of another’s experience can be invaluable when facing something new – including cancer. Through the SoulMates program at Dana-Farber’s Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers, newly diagnosed breast cancer patients can be paired with trained volunteers who have already been through surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or other kinds of treatment. “Our volunteers … Read more
Amy McHugh’s 4-year-old daughter, Emily Coughlin, was a typical kid – playful and inquisitive – until May 2009, when she started complaining of knee pain. After a visit to the pediatrician, and a misdiagnosis of Lyme disease, the family ended up at Boston Children’s Hospital, where they received a devastating diagnosis: Emily had high-risk neuroblastoma, … Read more
Early last year, at his home in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jesus Apolinaris Cruz’s leg hurt so much he could barely sleep. “All day, it was constant pain,” the 13-year-old recalls. His parents took him to two local pediatricians, who examined him, drew blood, and tested his platelets. No diagnosis. Finally, in April 2016, a … Read more
By Tara Baysol Navigating the health care arena can be especially nerve-wracking for LGBTQ patients, many of whom dread the possibility of awkward encounters, judgmental questions, or outright discrimination. Even if hospitals and other facilities are committed to serving our community, we can still face insensitive interactions that leave us wanting to run out of … Read more
Clinical trials are scientific studies in which new treatments – drugs, diagnostic procedures, and other therapies – are tested to determine if they are safe and effective for patients. Nearly all cancer drugs in use today were tested and made available to patients through clinical trials, making them a crucial component of cancer research. But what does … Read more
In most cases, the diagnosis of a brain tumor can’t be traced to a particular cause or risk factor. As with many forms of cancer, brain tumor risk increases with age – although tumors can develop in younger people – and men have a somewhat greater risk than women. About five percent of brain tumors … Read more