On a wave of promising research and positive media stories, psychedelic drugs are edging closer to mainstream use for treating a variety of mental disorders. A clinical trial recently launched by Dana-Farber investigators is the first to evaluate such an agent in patients receiving hospice care. The trial, which plans to enroll 15 patients served … Read more
When researchers report the survival effect of a cancer drug in a clinical trial, they almost always use a measure called hazard ratio. For all its ubiquity, however, hazard ratio has a hazard of its own: it’s a bit tricky to understand. A 2019 study found that 47% of researchers misinterpreted hazard ratio (HR) when … Read more
Radiation therapy is used to treat a variety of cancers. High-energy waves or particles directed at tumor cells can damage their DNA, slowing their growth or causing them to die. Because normal cells in the radiation field can also be damaged, radiation therapy may produce side effects for some patients. These vary with the type … Read more
To a dark chocolate lover, the possibility that their favorite treat could protect against cancer might sound too good to be true. And, largely, it is. As a general rule, no specific food, no matter how healthy, can single-handedly lower cancer risk. What matters, says Hillary Wright, MEd, RD, LDN, a senior clinical nutritionist at … Read more
Both allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplants involve treating a patient with chemotherapy followed by an infusion of blood-forming stem cells, with a goal of curing the cancer or extending the time before the disease relapses. In adults, transplants are used to treat a range of blood-related cancers, myelodysplastic syndromes, and non-malignant blood disorders. Autologous … Read more
Even as an infant is learning to distinguish herself from the rest of the world, a key part of her immune system is working toward the same goal, albeit in a very different manner. From before birth through the early years of life, young immune system cells in the thymus gland are receiving an education … Read more
Pancreatic cancer cells operate a recycling program that would be the envy of any municipality — but the only beneficiaries are the cells themselves. All cells in the body recycle minerals and nutrients, removing them from storage and breaking them down them for re-use. But in cancer cells, this process, known as autophagy — literally, … Read more
Most commonly occurring cancers are diagnosed in people over age 50. Over the past several decades, however, rates of many types of cancer have been rising in adults under 50. Reports suggest that these include breast, colorectal, endometrial, esophageal, bile duct, gallbladder, head and neck, kidney, liver, pancreatic, prostate, stomach, and thyroid cancers as well … Read more
A recent study found that women who frequently use chemical hair straighteners and relaxers could have a higher risk of developing uterine cancer than those who have not used the products. The study, which tracked 34,000 women nationwide for more than a decade, comes at a time when uterine cancer rates in women are increasing, … Read more
Natural killer (NK) cells are white blood cells that serve as a part of the body’s first line of defense against infections and cancers. Along with T cells and B cells, NK cells have specialized roles as part of the immune system and have shown potential for being used in cancer immunotherapy. Their effectiveness is still being … Read more
Hemoglobin is an essential protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues and transports carbon dioxide from your organs and tissues back to your lungs. What type of cancer causes low hemoglobin? Anemia is essentially a blood condition marked by a low level of hemoglobin and red blood cells, and in some cases … Read more
What is TIL (tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte) therapy? Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte, or TIL, therapy uses a patient’s own immune system T cells to fight cancer. The therapy involves removing T cells from a piece of the patient’s tumor – where the T cells have congregated after being alerted to the cancer – growing them outside the body, then … Read more
This year’s holiday season coincides with high rates of several virus-borne respiratory diseases, including flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. For people planning on gathering with family and friends, there are a variety of steps that can protect against the transmission of these diseases and reduce their severity if they are transmitted. Should I get … Read more
Finding a lump under your skin can be a worrying discovery — but lumps under the skin are more often relatively harmless than cancerous. To help you better understand when to be concerned about a lump under the skin, we talked to Vinod Nambudiri, MD, of Dana-Farber’s Center for Cutaneous Oncology. What are some of … Read more
Immunotherapy for cancer is a form of treatment that uses the body’s immune system to combat the disease. Today, immunotherapy is being applied to a wide range of cancers, often in combination with other agents, and clinical trials are exploring ways of improving and expanding its effectiveness. A particularly promising form of immunotherapy, known as … Read more
With COVID-19 continuing to be prevalent in fall 2023, it’s a good idea for patients with cancer and their caregivers to know the steps they can take to reduce their risk of contracting the disease. As was true during the original outbreak of the disease in 2020, patients with cancer may be especially susceptible to … Read more
In a small percentage of women, a painful breast lump turns out to be cancer.
Most patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) now have several options for first-line therapy, thanks to new clinical trial results and novel targeted agents. Many patients with CLL, a slowly progressive blood cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells, don’t need immediate treatment but can be observed — sometimes for many years … Read more
Precursor conditions are early phases of diseases that may develop into cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, and multiple myeloma. Most people with precursor conditions do not experience symptoms, and since doctors rarely screen for these conditions, they are sometimes found through routine blood tests but often remain undiagnosed. “Many diagnoses are purely incidental,” says Irene Ghobrial, MD, director … Read more
As people age, it’s normal for their blood-forming cells, known as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), to acquire genetic mutations, or misspellings, in their DNA. Most of these mutations don’t affect how HSCs function or cause disease. In some cases, however, the mutations give certain HSCs an edge in survival, granting them an outsized role in … Read more