Asked how he has dealt with three bouts of bone cancer and a partial right leg amputation in less than four years, 14-year-old Jack Berry says that he takes things “one step at a time.” That is, when he’s not surfing, riding his mountain bike, sprinting across tennis courts, or winning ski races. An osteosarcoma … Read more
While skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the United States, melanoma is the least common type of skin cancer, accounting for less than 1 percent of skin cancer. Unlike most melanomas appearing on visible areas on the skin, mucosal melanoma occurs on the mucus membranes, or moist surfaces, of … Read more
Because of his adopted family’s cancer history, the director of Dana-Farber’s Lynch Syndrome Center, Matt Yurgelun, MD, is uniquely invested in helping patients with Lynch syndrome — a common and often under-diagnosed inherited condition. Eight of the 13 in his grandfather’s generation ultimately developed some form of cancer, and it wasn’t until later that Matt … Read more
Investigators had culled the list of suspects down to two. But which one was the guilty party, or were both? The pair worked together so seamlessly, it was difficult to tell where one’s role began and the other’s ended. In some respects, they even looked alike. Dana-Farber scientists have now teased apart the relationship between … Read more
Cancer is a disease that’s often associated with older people; however, a growing number of younger patients are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Since the 1990s, the rate of colorectal cancer diagnoses has more than doubled in adults age 20 to 49. Alexa Morell is one of these patients. She didn’t expect her diagnosis: metastatic … Read more
Tongue cancer is a type of oral cavity cancer that occurs when cells divide out of control and form a growth or tumor on the tongue. Tongue cancer is less common than many other types of cancer. It is more prevalent in older adults and rare in children. There are two parts of the tongue: … Read more
Every cancer starts with a mistake deep inside the nucleus of a single cell, where DNA is stored. Abnormalities in DNA can be inherited from one’s parents or can occur because of exposure to harmful substances in the environment such as chemicals in tobacco, ultraviolet radiation from the sun, and perhaps, chemicals in our diet. … Read more
Like many people, Caroline McGuirk knew that lumps can be a symptom of breast cancer, even if most of them end up being noncancerous. What she wasn’t aware of is that the redness and swelling she had noticed in her right breast months before finding two lumps there can be indicators of inflammatory breast cancer … Read more
If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that with funding and regulatory support, the scientific community can move quickly and produce miracles. So when President Joe Biden announced his commitment on Feb. 2, to cut cancer deaths by 50 percent over the next 25 years, it produced a wave of guarded optimism. “This is great … Read more
For Duane Witter, the most difficult part of his cancer treatment was recovering from his stem cell transplant and having to step away from teaching and coaching high school basketball in Farmington, CT. “Before all this, I used to say that my superpower was to never miss a day of school,” he says. “Stepping away … Read more
A rare leukemia called BPDCN (blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm) is three to four times more common in people with one X chromosome, for reasons that hadn’t been clear. Now, however, research led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists has identified a genetic factor that appears to explain a large part of the discrepancy, and also … Read more
Prostate cancer screening options are available but are not necessarily recommended for all patients. There are positive and negative factors to consider when screening for this cancer, and options should be discussed with a doctor. Who should be screened for prostate cancer? The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that people with prostates … Read more
First Cinthia Roman Manrique learned she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Then the 8-year-old Peru native was uprooted from her school, family, and friends when she flew with her mother in early 2017 to the United States — where chances of a cure for her high-risk cancer were better. In the U.S., Cinthia’s challenges continued … Read more
Born on Jan. 1, Alan Morris is used to sharing a birthday with the New Year. Now the lymphoma patient also has a special day marking what he considers his rebirth — and a harbinger of hope. On Jan. 24, Morris, 58, became the first Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center patient to receive outpatient CAR T-cell … Read more
At Carolyn Kershaw and Darlene Musso’s first visit to Dana-Farber in July, Irene Ghobrial, MD, greeted them with some unexpected news. “We walked in and she said, ‘Did you know you two are famous in our lab?’” Kershaw recounts. Their local renown stems from their participation in the PROMISE study at Dana-Farber’s Center for the Prevention of Progression (CPOP), which … Read more
What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a condition that thins and weakens the bones in a way that makes them more likely to fracture, especially the bones in the hip, spine, and wrist. Are there any risk factors for osteoporosis? Osteoporosis can occur to anyone, but it is more common in older women. Risk factors include: … Read more
Understanding why immunotherapies are highly effective in some patients but fail in many others is one of the top priorities in cancer research — and one of the most challenging puzzles. A research team led by Catherine J. Wu, MD, has uncovered some previously unknown molecular factors affecting donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), a form of … Read more
The patient’s medical history told of a grueling journey. From the age of six, when the patient began experiencing weakness on her left side and double vision, she had to undergo repeated blood draws to reduce dangerously high levels of red blood cells. Over the next eight years she needed higher and higher doses of … Read more
Clinical trials are research studies that test new therapies or existing treatments to better understand their safety and efficacy. Every treatment that is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was tested in a clinical trial involving patients who volunteer, usually after a discussion with their physician. The clinical trial system is … Read more
Rosemary Iwakura, 17, was experiencing strange symptoms before her acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis (ALL) almost two years ago. She was unable to focus on her schoolwork or activities and fainted on several occasions at school and at home. “I thought; ‘People faint for many reasons,’” she recalls. “We weren’t sure if we were supposed to … Read more