It was a picture-perfect spring day in May 2025 in the Boston Public Garden. Sabrina Lucius couldn’t help but snap a picture – though on the inside, her world was falling apart. “I remember the bench I was sitting on. I remember hearing laughter in the background. And I remember feeling frozen, like time was … Read more
If Jennifer Feinberg were to write a book, she would call it “There’s Always Something” — a saying that captures not only life but also her cancer journey. “It started with my second-ever mammogram,” says Feinberg, who was diagnosed at age 41 and is now 49. “The radiologist near my home in Washington, DC, pulled … Read more
Since childhood, Cindy Scully has found a safe haven in running. For her, running wasn’t just about putting her body through a tough workout; it was about finding peace. “Running has always been something I can’t give up,” says 55-year-old Scully, of Marshfield, Massachusetts. “It’s part of my identity.” So, when Scully was training for … Read more
The email that Kyle Brownell sent to Emily Heikamp, MD, PhD, in October 2021 was a plea for a lifeline. His then 19-year-old son, Andrew, had already undergone a stem cell transplant to treat a rare type of leukemia, but just six months later, he was facing a recurrence. The future seemed unclear. “I was … Read more
Clinical administrative specialists help patients manage many logistical needs that can arise during cancer treatment, from coordinating outside lab work and imaging to assisting with documentation and referrals. In Dana-Farber’s Gynecologic Oncology Program, Matthew Poolor works closely with oncology nurse navigators, providers, and clinical research teams to help patients access the care and support they … Read more
Ina enjoys traveling, time with her two daughters, son-in-law, and granddaughters, reading, and taking ballet lessons at the Boston Ballet School. Her latest adventure recently took her to the Netherlands and Belgium for an all-ladies river cruise to see the tulips. “Trips like that are great medicine too,” says Ina, who was diagnosed in 2020 … Read more
Some things are best kept under lock and key, like oncogenes, which are genes that are associated with cancer growth because they signal cells to grow rapidly. They are valuable to certain cells at key moments, such as during early development of organs, but most of the time, cells keep them tucked away using the … Read more
What began as a minor, nagging pain in her abdomen became an unbearable stabbing sensation that landed Debby Orcutt in the hospital. For months, she and her primary care physician thought the pain was the result of constipation, but hospital physicians suspected it could be cancer. As she waited in the hospital room with her … Read more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved daraxonrasib for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have received at least one prior systemic therapy or are not candidates for multiagent systemic therapy. “This is an exceptional moment for patients with pancreatic cancer,” says Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, director of the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic … Read more
From the time Lorna Brunelle was a child, belting songs into her hairbrush, she knew she belonged in the spotlight. Over the years, Brunelle’s passion for acting and singing evolved into a career in education and coaching. She opened a performing arts school and now owns a theater in her hometown of Middleborough, MA. When … Read more
Fluffy dust bunnies, fuzzy mold, or wild racoons can find refuge in the ductwork of any home, slowly sprawling out and quickly becoming a problem. And like any home, the tiny channels in our body can get blocked, sometimes by the dirtiest kind—cancer. Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer that forms in the bile duct. The … Read more
There are more microorganisms in the world than we can count, and just a portion—trillions worth — are inside us. The bacteria in your mouth, the fungi on your skin, or the viruses in your gut build complex communities that reproduce and adapt quickly. We may not be able to see these little critters, but … Read more
As a post-doctoral fellow, Elizabeth Stover, MD, PhD, wanted to understand how ovarian cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy becomes less effective over time for most patients with metastatic ovarian cancer. She ran an unbiased screen – a way to look at every gene in the human genome and see which ones protect ovarian … Read more
The human body has a rhythm made up of a series of routines that our cells, organs, and tissues follow. But in 2019, 35-year-old Lamar Valentina discovered that deep inside his kidneys, small, abnormal cells were working at their own pace. “A pain in my lower back finally became so severe that I had to … Read more
When patients with bladder cancer complete treatment that is intended to cure the cancer, they may be left wondering if there is anything else they should do to keep the cancer from coming back. For patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer – where the disease is at a higher risk of coming back than early-stage … Read more
Early in his career, Vinayak Venkataraman, MD, noticed that one group of patients was putting on a brave face in his sarcoma clinic. In conversations with nurses and social workers, he learned that his young adult patients were struggling with physical, emotional, and social challenges even if they sometimes didn’t tell him directly. “Patients can … Read more
When Will Verbits noticed a cut on the side of his foot in the summer of 2024, he wasn’t worried. The longtime administrator of special education assumed he’d somehow gotten a blister. He was happily looking forward to retirement, eager to brush up on his cooking skills. But, over time, a lesion developed and grew. … Read more
Pathogens are tiny invaders of the body that can make people sick—something that Howard Heller, MD, MPH, has spent his entire career studying. Then, in 2024, Heller discovered at age 64 there was another kind of invader, growing slowly and uncontrollably in his own body: cancer. “I’ve helped patients as an infectious disease specialist for … Read more
In April, Riley McDevitt received test results from her genetic counselor at Dana-Farber. Tests showed a diagnosis of Lynch syndrome and McDevitt knew exactly what she wanted to do after hearing the news: celebrate with her family over tacos. The diagnosis wasn’t entirely unexpected. “I have a family history of Lynch syndrome, so I’ve known … Read more
While men are four times more likely to develop bladder cancer as they age, women and African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease at a later stage, when treatment is less likely to be curative. The key to an early diagnosis is a timely visit to a urologist, a specialist who … Read more