COVID-19 Vaccines for Cancer Patients and Survivors: Information to Know

Dana-Farber strongly encourages patients to get vaccinated for COVID-19 to protect themselves from serious infection of the virus. Family members, caregivers, and frequent household contacts also should also stay up to date with vaccinations to protect those around them.  COVID-19 vaccines have been given to millions of people and have proven safe and effective at … Read more

COVID-19 Booster Shots for Most Cancer Patients: What to Know

If you have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends different numbers of vaccines depending on if you are immunocompromised. Immunocompromised people can include people who have: As of December 2022, the COVID-19 vaccination recommendation for immunocompromised people, including active cancer patients, includes: A booster dose is another dose given … Read more

What is a Cytokine Storm?

A cytokine storm is a severe immune system reaction to infection, autoimmune condition, or other disease, including some cancers. It occurs when the body produces extremely high levels of certain cytokines, which are proteins that raise or lower immune activity. The deluge of cytokines into the bloodstream can result in severe inflammation across multiple bodily … Read more

Vaccines Help Some COVID-19 ‘Long Haulers,’ But Lingering Symptoms Remain a Mystery

For an estimated 10% to 30% of people who survive acute COVID-19 illness, the road to full recovery is lengthy and plagued with an array of persistent ills ranging from “brain fog” to fatigue, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal distress, impaired sense of smell, and neurological symptoms. Doctors call this syndrome, “long COVID or post-acute COVID-19,” … Read more

How to Approach the Holiday Season Amid Covid and Other Respiratory Infections

This year’s holiday season coincides with high rates of several virus-borne respiratory diseases, including flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.  For people planning on gathering with family and friends, there are a variety of steps that can protect against the transmission of these diseases and reduce their severity if they are transmitted. Should I get … Read more

Should I Go to the Dentist During COVID-19?

It is still important to keep up with your routine medical appointments, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Going to the dentist for regular cleanings and checkups remains important for your health, even for cancer patients. Here, Nathaniel Treister, DMD, DMSc, clinical director of Oral Medicine and Oral Oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, answers … Read more

Institute Researchers Take Lead in Trials of Potential COVID-19 Therapies

Insights from decades of cancer research are surprisingly transferable to the battle against COVID-19. The desire to save life and ease suffering that motivates cancer researchers has been directed to the new disease as well. Drawing on their knowledge of cancer drug mechanisms, and of the adverse side effects of some of those drugs, Dana-Farber … Read more

Researchers Identify Antibodies That Could Work Against Coronavirus

Dana-Farber researchers, with colleagues at Columbia University and the National Institutes of Health, have identified a diverse set of antibodies that effectively neutralize the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, a key step in the development of agents to treat and prevent the disease. As reported in Nature, the antibodies exhibited “exquisite potency” against the virus, thwarting … Read more

Should I Get Screened for Cancer During COVID-19?

Many people skipped or delayed routine cancer screening tests during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. Medical providers say it’s now safe and prudent to schedule your appointments.  “If you put off your cancer screening mammograms or other screening procedures, we encourage you to reschedule them now,” says Craig Bunnell, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber’s chief … Read more

Dana-Farber Clinical Research Stays on Track During COVID-19

The resilience shown by cancer care providers during the coronavirus crisis is in equal supply among those involved in clinical research. The strict protocols associated with these studies — rules on eligibility, consent, criteria for tracking response, data collection and analysis — might seem to allow little of the flexibility needed in the COVID-19 era. … Read more