Although disparities in the treatment of cancer and other diseases have been an endemic part of the American healthcare system, it took a pandemic to expose how pervasive they are. The high rates of COVID-19 in many communities of color drew attention to the broader health inequities affecting these groups. In recognition of Minority Cancer … Read more
LGBTQ+ individuals can face a host of challenges in their day-to-day lives, including discrimination, hostile words and actions, and ignorance. When it comes to cancer, LGBTQ+ people often come up against additional hurdles that are not faced by those who are cisgender (meaning those who identify with their sex assigned at birth) and/or heterosexual. The … Read more
Chris Devin never expected to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma at the age of 45 — and being told he had cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic was far from ideal. But Devin quickly learned that he could rely on his team at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) for the best treatment options. While COVID-19 … Read more
If transgender youth and adults are undergoing (or planning) gender-affirming surgery, taking masculinizing or feminizing hormones, and they have cancer, these treatments can have implications for their care. Cancer treatments in turn can have implications for their gender-affirming care. Oncologists should take gender identity into account in making decisions about cancer treatment. This starts with … Read more
Cancer does not affect everyone in the same way. A combination of factors, including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status can make some patients face a greater cancer burden and poorer outcomes in cancer care and treatment. These inequities are called cancer disparities. The causes “are complex and reflect social and economic disparities and … Read more
In early 2019, Jess Skyleson found herself in a situation she never imagined she’d ever be in: telling a group of people what hope means to her. Less than a year ago, as she waded through her own cancer diagnosis, the idea of hope was the last thing Skyleson wanted to discuss. In 2018, she … Read more
It was anything but a routine hospital visit, but Bradley Graham handled his 100th chemotherapy infusion like he has all the rest — with a friendly smile and a steely determination. That’s his makeup. As a principal engineer specializing in submarines and nuclear emergency planning, and a Navy veteran who served more than 20 years … Read more
If you’ve ever thought about starting a diet, you’re not alone. Studies suggest that more than 45 million Americans will attempt to diet every year. While it’s easy to find a regimen that claims you’ll lose weight and feel better, how do you know it’s safe or even good for you? The amount of misinformation … Read more
By Amanda DeGiorgi Menopause, arthritis, wigs, medical bills, less sex, no sex… sounds more like a retiree’s worst nightmare than my reality as a 29-year-old about to be married. But life rarely goes as planned, and it can take you on a wild ride when you’re least expecting it. Now that surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and … Read more
Three-year-old Lia Scagnoli skipped across the “Bridge of Hope” connecting Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute each time she had a chemotherapy infusion or other treatment for pediatric kidney cancer at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic. Caregivers offering equal parts love, hope, and fun diversions gave her and her family a feeling of confidence that … Read more
Childhood cancer is rare, but when it happens, it usually brings up an endless stream of questions for parents. How did this happen? What will life be like for my child? In this episode of Cancer Mythbusters from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we talk about some of the most common questions and myths about childhood cancer … Read more
We hear it all the time: “Cancer is a battle”—insinuating that patients have to fight in order to increase their chances of a good outcome. It’s a common message used in the media, the premise being that a person’s cancer can be eradicated if they are tough enough. But does this put the burden of … Read more
What does remission mean? Cancer is said to be in remission when the signs and symptoms of the disease have decreased or resolved. If the cancer is a solid mass — such as a tumor in the lung or breast — remission means the mass has shrunk. If it is a hematologic (blood-related) cancer, … Read more
Adopting a healthy lifestyle, in terms of diet and exercise, is especially important for cancer patients in reducing stress, minimizing side effects, and boosting energy levels to power through treatment and recovery.
Ever since she was diagnosed with a form of aggressive breast cancer six years ago, Tara Shuman has channeled her abundant energy and optimism into getting through and beyond her cancer, and also on doing everything possible to help others facing it.
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.
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.
Although lymphedema symptoms can be prevented and managed in a variety of ways, surgeons are pioneering procedures to restore a healthy lymph system in affected patients.
Cancer chemotherapy is the most common cause of neutropenia, which can be treated depending on its cause and severity.
A radiosensitizer, or a radiosensitizing agent, is a drug that makes cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to shrink tumors by disrupting the DNA of cancer cells, causing them to die. Radiosensitizers can be drugs that kill or inhibit growth of cancer cells, like chemotherapy, or drugs that only … Read more