After her breast cancer surgery, Tia struggled with mobility in her left shoulder. It felt as though the joint was frozen, and she could feel some swelling in her chest. After several dead ends, she learned that this feeling may be caused by early-stage lymphedema. This condition is a common side effect of breast cancer … Read more
Kirsten Dahl knows plenty about targets, so when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of HER2+ breast cancer, she devised her own unique brand of targeted cancer therapy. In addition to heeding the advice of her medical team, Dahl focused on the one thing she most missed to help her get through nearly two … Read more
The human genome is a sequence of Ts, Gs, Cs, and As that is about 3 billion letters long. And, says Bradley Bernstein, MD, PhD, chair of Dana-Farber’s Department of Cancer Biology, “there’s no dictionary or guide for reading it.” Bernstein is trying to make such a resource. The efforts so far, carried out by … 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
In March 2016, two months before joining Dana-Farber, Sara Menendez, LAT, ATC, attended LYNKED IN, an annual one-day conference hosted by Dana-Farber’s Lynch Syndrome Center. The event gave her an opportunity to meet colleagues and learn about treatment advances, screening guidelines, and prevention efforts for Lynch syndrome, an inherited and often underdiagnosed condition that increases … Read more
In December 2023, a space opened in a clinical trial at Dana-Farber of a novel targeted drug. Rosemary Conway, 68, who had stage IV lung cancer, was eager to fill it. She had been waiting nearly six years for a trial of a medicine that would target a specific genetic mutation driving the growth of … Read more
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
People with Lynch syndrome have an elevated risk of developing colon cancer and several other cancers. For example, someone without the inherited condition has about a 5% chance of developing colon cancer. But for someone with Lynch syndrome, it could be anywhere from 22% to 74%. What if there were a way to reduce the … Read more
The number of people seeking care at the Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence in Rwanda has been rising consistently over the last decade. Prior to that, very few people in Rwanda received cancer care, not because no one had cancer but because Rwanda had virtually no cancer care services. Over the last 12 years, the … Read more
Dana-Farber’s genitourinary cancer team is devoted to research that will advance patient care and improve patient’s lives. Recently, that research — all of it years in the making — has paid off with major achievements. This includes: “We are constantly striving to improve the treatment and diagnosis of genitourinary cancers,” says Toni Choueiri, MD, director … 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 2021, a novel drug called belzutifan was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer. Since then, Dana-Farber clinical investigator Panos Konstantinopoulos, MD, PhD, has wanted to launch a clinical trial of the drug for clear cell ovarian cancer. That vision … Read more
The Scragg family always knew it was a possibility, but it still came as a shock. It was August 2021, and Mark Scragg, then 33, was undergoing treatment for stage 4 stomach cancer. After just three months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, scans showed no sign of the tumor first discovered in his stomach that spring … 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
Roberta “Bert” Green is a woman with a full and busy life. When not driving across the country with her husband, Ralph, in their RV, she alternates between paddle boarding, walking, e-biking, and skiing with the changing seasons around her rural Vermont home. Retired after a long career as a school neuropsychologist, she also makes … Read more
Just like genetic and lifestyle factors, the composition of breasts can affect a person’s risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. Although it’s not yet known why, people with dense breasts have a higher risk for breast cancer. Breast density is a measure of how much glandular and fibrous tissue there is in the … Read more
Over the last decade, significant strides have been made in understanding the molecular underpinnings of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in adults, which has led to better drugs and better treatment outcomes for patients. This shifting landscape now makes it possible for cancer researchers and providers to ask, “How can we do better?” Dana-Farber medical oncologist … 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