The first time Ashley Bernath dropped her then-three-year-old daughter, Charlie, off at preschool, there was no hug, no tears, no long goodbye — just a quick “see you later” and a full-steam-ahead dash for the classroom. Charlie’s excitement that morning in September 2025 was understandable. She had spent the previous 15 months in active cancer … Read more
CAR T-cell therapy is a newer form of immunotherapy that can treat some types of blood cancers, such as lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia. Patients can be treated with this therapy as an inpatient or outpatient, depending on their case and specific needs. “Historically, we were giving these therapies in the hospital, but what we’ve … Read more
Rare genetic cancers may affect few people, but their complexity makes them powerful windows into how even the most common cancers develop and behave. Delving into understanding how DNA is damaged and repaired in rare genetic conditions is how physician-scientist Alan D’Andrea, MD, built a foundation of knowledge about Fanconi anemia (FA) – a rare genetic disease of the bone marrow that significantly increases the risk of certain cancers. In people with … Read more
Dienna Lehner grew up in a Massachusetts town with a small ski hill and a rope tow. “It was hot dogs, tomato soup, and an outdoor fireplace,” she recalls. “And it was Nirvana.” Later in life, she opted to spend her winters in Park City, Utah, to enjoy big mountain skiing. The conditions have been mild this year, but last year she skied all season – which … Read more
When Ann Carroll was diagnosed with cancer at age 28, her dream to get married and have a baby felt out of reach. Now, seven years later and cancer-free, she is living that dream with her husband and their 7-month-old son, Teddy. “I didn’t think I would get this far,” says Carroll, of Boston, Massachusetts. “My whole journey started when I walked into my doctor’s office because I wasn’t feeling well.” As a graduate student in 2019 studying clinical psychology at Northwestern University, Carroll started experiencing lightheadedness and tunnel … Read more
Bill Kelley’s unbreakable bond with the clinical team that guided him through myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a group of rare blood disorders impacting the bone marrow, and a stem cell transplant was never more evident than during a Sunday night in the summer of 2025. Kelley’s sister Joan had arranged a surprise 70th birthday baseball outing for him and 30 of his friends and family members at Boston’s Fenway Park, where Kelley had grown up … Read more
Cancer treatment has evolved dramatically in the first quarter of this century, but there is still much more to do to improve the lives of people with cancer. At Dana-Farber, research continues in the clinic and in the lab in efforts to continue to bring advancements in treatment and prevention for patients. That research has resulted in exciting … Read more
In February 2024, while being treated for pneumonia, doctors noticed that Rebecca Santorelli’s spleen was enlarged. “No one was concerned at first,” recalls Santorelli, 61, who lives outside of Albany, New York. Doctors estimate spleen size with fingerbreadths — or approximate widths of a finger — below the rib cage, with normal being about zero. … Read more
As a record-setting high school runner, Colby Rochford was an anchorman — the guy teammates depended on to take the baton and sprint to victory. These days, while away at college, Rochford is still a young man in a hurry. The opponent now is T-cell lymphoma, and every third Monday, he dashes from class to … Read more
Gene therapy and immunotherapy are both types of treatment for cancer and other diseases. They represent different approaches to disease therapy, though there is some overlap. What is gene therapy? Gene therapy is a way of treating or preventing disease by altering the genetic instructions within an individual’s cells. Most diseases aren’t caused by a … Read more
Linda Lane was still fatigued months after having COVID-19 in January of 2021. “I told my doctor that I had not been this tired since I had a newborn in the house,” says Lane, now 57 and living on Cape Cod. “That got her attention.” Her bloodwork came back with abnormal results. By May, the … Read more
“The world needs more Dr. Soiffers – and more Nicoles.” Such is the wisdom of Judy Mangione, 80, who credits these two individuals for the fulfilling life she is enjoying with her husband, Bob, and their combined six children and 10 grandchildren. Robert Soiffer, MD, treated Mangione with the January 2022 stem cell transplant that … Read more
For a long time, the standard treatment for younger patients with newly diagnosed mantle cell lymphoma involved intensive chemotherapy, called induction therapy, followed by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT, where the patient’s own stem cells are used), followed by maintenance therapy to help keep the cancer from coming back. Based on recent clinical research involving … Read more
The first time Jackie Dunn tracked her husband Mike’s numbers, he was a high school basketball star and she was the team statistician. More than 40 years later, she was back at it — this time with far more on the line than a ballgame. The Dunns had temporarily relocated in the summer of 2024 … Read more
Medical advances tend to unfold slowly over many years, fueled by successive clinical studies that build upon each other and together provide the evidence needed to change patient care. A key illustration of this point comes from a recent phase 3 clinical trial, published last October in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), which … Read more
When Pedro Vianna, MD, was 5 years old, his mother took him to the pediatrician in their home country of Brazil. A lymph node on the left side of his neck had been swollen for weeks. While the pediatrician reassured his family that it was likely a reactive viral infection, Vianna’s mother, a hematologist, had … Read more
Menin, a protein located in the nucleus of various human cell types, often functions as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting excessive cell growth and division. If a mutation in the menin gene causes the protein to be defective or absent, uncontrolled cell growth begins — cell growth that could lay the foundations for cancer. Dana-Farber research has also found that menin in its normal form has … Read more
In the midst of a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation for breast cancer, Dianne Austin thought finding a wig to cover her balding head would be easy. She quickly learned otherwise. As a Black woman, Austin desired a wig that resembled her tightly coiled, kinky and curly hair. This was 2015, and although several hospitals near … Read more
In 2023, Denise “Necee” Regis was brought face to face with her old art studio building on Brookline Avenue. As she walked by, she was able to identify the window that belonged to the room where she once spent the late 70s and early 80s working on a Master of Fine Arts at the Massachusetts … Read more
Dana-Farber physician-scientists presented results of more than 100 research studies at the 66th American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting. Scientists shared findings across a range of hematologic disorders, underscoring the Institute’s dedication to innovation in hematologic oncology research, advances in early disease detection and intervention, and improving patient outcomes. ASH is the world’s most comprehensive hematology … Read more