Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called HPV (human papilloma virus) that is spread through sexual contact. For many people, the virus is cleared by the immune system. But if it isn’t, it can develop into cancer. The virus can be detected through HPV screening that inspects a sample of cervical tissue for the … Read more
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
Black men, particularly men of West African descent, are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than Caucasian men, and three times more likely than Asian men. They are also twice as likely as Caucasian men to die from the disease. These disparities are among the largest in cancer. What is driving … Read more
As a longtime volunteer for the Red Cross, Jeanne Dodge knows the value of gaining as much information as possible about a situation or injured individual before administering aid. Making assumptions without all the facts can result in more harm than good in an emergency. Accordingly, when Dodge comes to Dana-Farber for her multiple myeloma … Read more
More than seven percent of adults in the US identify as LGBTQ+, according to a 2022 Gallup poll. That’s a record high and a doubling of the percentage measured a decade earlier. People in the LGBTQ+ community can face many societal barriers, including to healthcare. According to multiple surveys, about one in three LGBTQ+ people … Read more
By Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, Dana-Farber President and Chief Executive Officer Earlier this month, I along with three Dana-Farber colleagues – Judy Garber, MD, MPH; Donna Neuberg, ScD; and Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD – had the honor of being named by Research.com as being among the best female researchers in the world. It’s a proud … Read more
Throughout her nearly 20-year career at Dana-Farber, Judy Thyme has enjoyed forming close bonds with patients. Most recently, she has been making these connections earlier than ever — in some cases ensuring new patients make it to their first appointment. Thyme is a community-focused patient navigator, a position developed during the past two years as … Read more
While some racial and ethnic groups have been underrepresented in clinical trials of therapies for lung cancer, breast cancer and other malignancies, researchers speculated that the situation might be different for adult leukemia trials. The unique features of the disease — the speed with which it needs to be treated after diagnosis, the delivery of … Read more
Cancer screening refers to the process of looking for cancer in a patient without symptoms, with the goal of finding cancers while they are still small and localized, and therefore more likely to be cured. However, cancer screening recommendations are not the same for everyone; healthcare access and a person’s experience in the healthcare system … Read more
Approximately one in three children in the United States lives in a low-income home. For childhood cancer patients, living in a low-income home can have a significant impact: Poverty and associated factors are linked to poorer outcomes, even at large academic medical centers like Dana-Farber, according to research by Kira Bona, MD, MPH, a pediatric … Read more
The connection between a researcher’s biography and area of study is not always obvious. A young scientist may discover an intellectual fascination with immunology, for example, despite not having known anyone with an immunological disorder. For Dana-Farber’s Narjust Duma, MD, however, research is not just a response to her life experiences. It’s a way to … Read more
Valerie Stone, MD, MPH, was considering becoming an oncologist in the mid-1980s when something happened to shift her focus. People, including some very close to her, began developing a mysterious new disease. What they had was eventually identified as acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. And as a member of two groups disproportionately impacted — … Read more
A long-sought contractual agreement with the Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan (BMCHP) is providing thousands of Medicaid (MassHealth) patients in Massachusetts with easier access to Dana-Farber’s specialty cancer care, while also expanding its mission to serve historically neglected, excluded, and disinvested communities and populations. Under the agreement, which was finalized in December 2020, Dana-Farber and … Read more
Although multiple myeloma is relatively rare — accounting for about 2% of all cancers — it is twice as common among African Americans as white Americans. Every year, nearly 35,000 new cases of the disease are diagnosed in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. About 24% of those cases are in African … Read more
Melanoma, a type of skin cancer, gets its name from the pigment-producing cells called melanocytes from which tumors can develop. Melanocytes manufacture melanin, a substance in your body that produces hair, eye, and skin pigmentation. Melanin absorbs sunlight and helps to protect skin from DNA damaging ultraviolet light which can contribute to the development of … Read more