Cancer research often focuses on gene mutations in the parts of the human genome that produce cellular machinery called proteins. But the rest of the genome — sometimes called the “dark genome” — can also play a role. Dana-Farber researcher William Freed-Pastor, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist in the Dana-Farber Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology and Hale … Read more
Dana-Farber’s Older Adult Gastrointestinal Cancer Program specializes in treating patients who are 65 and older and have gastrointestinal cancers, such as colorectal cancer, esophageal and gastric cancer, liver cancer, neuroendocrine and pancreatic cancer. “Older adults are richly complex and multidimensional,” says gastrointestinal and geriatric oncologist Nadine McCleary, MD, MPH, who leads the program. “They deserve … Read more
Ann-Margaret Ferrante likes a good fight. The daughter and granddaughter of Gloucester, Mass. fishermen has long devoted herself to helping those in and around her hardy hometown, first as a lawyer, and since 2009 as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. For the last three years, however, Ferrante has had to balance her … Read more
A recent analysis of pancreatic cancer statistics in the United States has found that the incidence of pancreatic cancer is increasing faster in younger adults than among older adults. Though this finding is cause for further investigation, the incidence overall remains low. “This is still a rare cancer in young people,” says Asaf Maoz, MD, … Read more
Physicians have long known that there is a link between diabetes and pancreatic cancer.
As a cancer imaging fellow at Dana-Farber, Michael Rosenthal, MD, PhD, spent about two years working on a radiologist’s version of paint-by-number. Together with his colleagues, he annotated 687 computed tomography (CT) scans, manually differentiating skeletal muscle from fat tissue by labelling them with different colors. The work was part of a 2018 project to … Read more
People who inherit mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are at heightened risk for a variety of cancers, including breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic. It’s estimated that one in 300-400 people in the general population carry a mutation in either of these genes. Among people of Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish descent, the prevalence is … Read more
Pancreatic cancer often eludes early detection because symptoms typically don’t surface until the disease is well established. This makes it important to respond appropriately to warning signs, even though some may be vague or caused by another health condition. What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer? Most symptoms of pancreatic cancer are caused when tumors … Read more
After losing her first husband of 30 years to cancer, Candace “Candy” Langford felt blessed to find love again. And when she learned six weeks after her June 2018 wedding that she had locally advanced pancreatic cancer, shock blended with sorrow — because she knew her new life partner had also been down that road … 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
Pancreatic cancer isn’t as common as some other cancers, but it is somewhat renowned for being difficult to treat. Symptoms usually don’t show up until the cancer has grown to an advanced stage, but now, more than ever, patients with pancreatic cancer have good reason to be optimistic about their futures due to advances researchers … Read more
While screening for pancreatic cancer is not recommended for people at average risk of the disease, screening is recommended for those who carry an inherited genetic mutation associated with pancreatic cancer and have a family history of the disease. (Mutations are abnormal stretches of DNA that alter how cells grow and divide.) People with an … Read more
Medically reviewed by Brian M. Wolpin, MD, MPH Itching that occurs periodically is not a sign of pancreatic cancer. In fact, most people diagnosed with the disease will not experience this symptom. A potential symptom of pancreatic cancer is progressive itching that intensifies over a few weeks and is accompanied by jaundice (yellowing of the … Read more
Pancreatic cancer is notorious for being difficult to treat — and it is often not detected until it advances beyond the pancreas. While smoking and obesity are two established risk factors that impact this disease, another risk factor can be mutations in the BRCA2 gene, also associated with breast and ovarian cancer. Research studies have … Read more
Through his cutting-edge research, oncologist Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, is striving to broaden the treatment options available for patients with pancreatic cancer.
Nausea and cancer are often related in that nausea can be a side effect of treatment, but can nausea be a symptom of cancer itself? Is nausea a sign of colon cancer or other cancers? If there is a tumor that lives in the colon, esophagus, stomach, or somewhere else in the bowel, it can … Read more
Pancreatic cancer is seldom detected early enough for curative treatment to be performed – and even if it were, it would still be very difficult to vanquish. The pancreas, a narrow, six-inch-long gland that makes digestive juices and hormones such as insulin, is tucked away deep inside the body behind the stomach, small intestine, liver, … Read more
By Yvette Colón, OD I was diagnosed three years ago with pancreatic cancer, and the one thing I will never forget is when I asked my doctor when I could return to work as a clinical professor in optometry at a local health center. He looked at me and said, “Cancer is now your full-time … Read more
In the fall of 2015, at the age of 44 – young for a person to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer – Doron Broman was stunned to learn he had a large tumor on his pancreas that had metastasized to the liver. Facing only months to live, Broman would find himself in the right place … Read more
By Yvette Kaplan From her early days growing up in Hungary, Yvette Kaplan has possessed a strong will to survive. Whether it was German occupation during World War II, communism and a daring break for freedom as a teen, or cancer’s devastating impact on her family, she has met each challenge with resilience – including … Read more