General interest

What You Need to Know About Fiber and Cancer Risk

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Feeling constipated? You may have not be getting enough fiber in your diet.   Fiber-rich diets are a key component to preventing and reducing constipation and can help you maintain a healthy gut. Dietary fiber offers many health benefits from reducing chronic diseases like diabetes to lowering your risk of some types of cancer, such as colorectal cancer.  Fiber is an undigested nutrient that passes through the body when you consume fruits, … Read more

Do Viruses Cause Cancer?

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Whether it may be genetic or environmental, there are many factors that can lead to cancer. One of these factors could be infections, which can be caused by bacteria, fungi, and/or viruses.   Viruses insert themselves inside our bodies and alter our otherwise functioning genes, making us sick. Viruses can only thrive when they infect a … Read more

Dialing Hope: One-to-One Program Volunteers Offer Answers 

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On the surface, it might appear that Meghan McLyman and Jay Wood don’t have much in common.  McLyman is a mother and professor who teaches dance, and Wood is a stay-at-home father and former architect. They came to Dana-Farber for different reasons — McLyman had breast cancer and Wood was diagnosed with prostate cancer — … Read more

Nicotine Pouches: Are They Worth the Risks? 

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Nicotine pouches—small packets of nicotine powder placed between the gums and lips—are tobacco-free, but are they truly safer than cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco, and other nicotine products?  A product with historic roots  The practice of soaking tobacco leaves in water and pressing them between the gums and lips because popular among Swedish aristocracy in 1637 … Read more

How Clinical Trials Move Cancer Treatment Forward

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Clinical trials assess the safety and efficacy of new cancer drugs or drug combinations. The data and learnings these studies collect help regulators determine if the treatments should be approved and made broadly available to patients.  Clinical researchers conduct clinical trials at cancer institutes, medical centers, clinics, and hospitals worldwide, all under strict guidelines. Many … Read more

Microplastics and Cancer: Your Questions Answered 

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In recent decades, rates of some cancers, such as colorectal cancer, have been rising in young adults under the age of 50. One possible explanation for this rise is a parallel rise in obesity rates and changes in diet, activity levels and lifestyle.   However, says Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, director of Dana-Farber’s Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer … Read more

Understanding the Spread of Science Misinformation  

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According to a new report, misinformation about science and health can lead individuals to make ill-informed decisions that aren’t in their best interest. It also has broader effects in society by causing confusion and eroding trust in institutions, including scientific institutions.  Over the past two-plus years, a panel of scientific investigators gathered by the National Academies … Read more

Patient Takes Steps Toward Proactive Care Following Three Cancer Diagnoses 

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Elizabeth Johnston, then 37, was healthy and busy with two young children and a blossoming career running a public relations firm in Connecticut. One of her clients is the Hartford Marathon Foundation and in 2015, she decided to start running smaller stretches herself.   “I was in the best shape of my life,” Johnston recalls.   Little … Read more

Are There Cancers of Red Blood Cells and Blood Platelets? 

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While hematological cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma involve white blood cells, other, rarer hematologic malignancies affect red blood cells and platelets. These include polycythemia vera, in which the bone marrow produces too many red blood cells, and essential thrombocythemia, in which platelets levels are abnormally high. Both are chronic diseases that can usually … Read more

Five Things to Know About NUT Carcinoma 

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What is NUT carcinoma?   NUT carcinoma, formerly known as NUT-midline carcinoma, is a rare but very aggressive cancer that can develop anywhere in the body but usually starts in the head, neck, and lungs. It’s a squamous cell cancer — meaning it begins in squamous cells, which line hollow organs such as the windpipe and lungs — and is … Read more

Hearing Loss and Cancer Care: Important Facts and Resources 

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Treatments used for many forms of cancer, as well as certain rare types of cancer that directly affect the ear(s), can affect your hearing. It’s important to understand the possibilities and know what to look for because, in some cases, early action can help. If you are affected by hearing loss, there are also resources … Read more