Tests on living “organoids” created from patients’ ovarian cancer cells proved more accurate than DNA sequencing in predicting tumors’ sensitivity or resistance to chemotherapy drugs – and combining the two methods worked even better, say scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The investigators report in Cancer Discovery that ovarian cancer organoids – tiny, three-dimensional spheres of cells … Read more
From new immunotherapy treatments to improved understanding of the genetic mechanisms of pediatric tumors, the past year has brought many important advances against childhood cancers. We sat down with Scott Armstrong, MD, PhD, chair of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to discuss some of these developments. CAR T-Cell Therapy for Relapsed ALL A CAR … Read more
When Fran Austin’s ovarian cancer recurred after two rounds of chemotherapy, she found herself looking for a silver lining to the dark cloud of her disease. And she found it: Genetic profiling of her tumor identified her as an ideal candidate for an immunotherapy clinical trial, which has since shrunk her tumor by 60 percent … Read more
The past two years have seen striking changes in how advanced bladder cancer is treated.
Eli Morse has had to make major changes to his active lifestyle, but one thing has stayed the same: Eli and his family will continue to fight his aplastic anemia together.
A clinical trial at Dana-Farber has kept Sharon DeCosta’s stage IV metastatic breast cancer stabilized for three years, allowing her a full life of traveling and doting on her three young grandchildren, with a fourth due in December.
CNS lymphoma patient Rosette Becker was able to paint her way through the ups and downs of her successful treatment—and she remains in remission more than four years later.
Targeted therapies and immunotherapy are in a phase of discovery that is more promising than any preceding brain cancer research, according to the leaders of Dana-Farber’s Center for Neuro-Oncology.
Advances against multiple myeloma have come at an especially rapid pace, with 10 new therapies approved in just the last 10 years. As a group, their impact “is greater than anything we’ve seen in myeloma,” says Nikhil Munshi, MD, director of Basic and Correlative Science at Dana-Farber’s Jerome Lipper Center for Multiple Myeloma.
A year ago, Kelly Lamphere’s multiple myeloma was not responding to treatment, and her legs were so weakened by the cancer in her bones that she relied on a wheelchair and a walker. Today, because of CAR T-cell therapy, Lamphere’s disease is under control—and she can walk unaided again.
CAR T-cell therapy—a form of immunotherapy that uses genetically engineered T cells to intensify the immune system’s response to cancer—represents one of the biggest advances against cancer in recent years.
Cutaneous lymphoma is a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that starts in the skin.
Recent drug approvals collectively mark a new era in the treatment of adults with these diseases, scientists say.
A common question about severe or persistent headaches is whether they can be caused by a serious underlying health problem, such as a brain tumor.
A common question, answered.
Recent headways in pediatric liver tumor treatment include more targeted therapies that aim to hone in on the cancer and destroy it — while reducing the toxic effects of treatment on the body, when possible.
Two years after being given six months to live, Mullan’s cancer is still at bay because of immunotherapy and targeted chemotherapy – and through it all, he achieved one of his dreams: graduating from Harvard Law School.
How does cancer start? In general, how is it treated? Here’s the basics of what you need to know.
Depending on your type of cancer, your care team can include many providers, including five or more physicians. They each play a distinct but equally vital role.
Drug resistance is one of the major obstacles to successful cancer treatment — so scientists are looking at ways to overcome this obstacle.