Friendship Proves a Strong Foundation for Patient and Caregiver 

In 2023, Jackie Coté had just been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Feeling shocked and overwhelmed, she and her friend Nancy Gill, who accompanied Coté to her appointment, silently made their way to the front desk to schedule Coté’s weekly chemotherapy. As Coté entered the appointments into her phone calendar, Gill did the same in … Read more

The Power of Long-Range Hope and Courage 

While participating in a clinical trial, Kathleen McEvoy-Schufreider, a 60-year-old communications executive living in Haverhill, Mass., traveled to Dana-Farber for scans every twelve weeks to monitor her cancer. In between appointments, it was hard to put the scans out of her mind.  “I was living in twelve-week bursts,” says McEvoy-Schufreider, who was diagnosed with early-stage … Read more

Nicotine Pouches: Are They Worth the Risks? 

Nicotine pouches—small packets of nicotine powder placed between the gums and lips—are tobacco-free, but are they truly safer than cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco, and other nicotine products?  A product with historic roots  The practice of soaking tobacco leaves in water and pressing them between the gums and lips because popular among Swedish aristocracy in 1637 … Read more

Can Immunotherapy be Combined with Chemotherapy to Fight Cancer?

Immunotherapy drugs can be more effective against cancer when combined with other therapies, such as radiation therapy, targeted drugs, immunotherapy agents, and with chemotherapy.  What is chemotherapy?  Chemotherapy drugs have been used for decades to treat cancer, either alone or in combination therapies. These drugs kill rapidly dividing cells, including tumor cells, using a variety of mechanisms.  … Read more

Five Things You Should Know About Aggressive Prostate Cancer 

Among cancer diagnoses, prostate cancer is relatively common, especially for those who are older than 65. Fortunately, it is often manageable with minimal interventions necessary for a substantial portion of patients. However, many prostate cancer cases can be categorized as “aggressive,” meaning it will require more extensive treatment to address or avoid metastasis (spread of the cancer).   … Read more

Dana-Farber Oncologist Brings LGBTQ+-Centered Health Expertise Abroad

Jyoti Bajpai, MD, DM, an oncologist practicing in the Apollo Hospital network in India, is well versed in treating rare cancers, but when she encountered someone with prostate cancer who was undergoing gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy, she found surprisingly little data to inform her approach.  The realization spurred a survey of oncologists in the South … Read more

What is Immunopeptidomics? 

A burgeoning type of “omics” called immunopeptidomics is providing researchers with a powerful approach to discovering new ways to train a person’s immune system to fight cancer.  In cancer research, the approach is being used to take an inventory of every flag on the surface of a cancer cell and determine what it is, if … Read more

New Insights into Immunotherapy Targets for Pancreatic Cancer 

Cancer research often focuses on gene mutations in the parts of the human genome that produce cellular machinery called proteins. But the rest of the genome — sometimes called the “dark genome” — can also play a role.   Dana-Farber researcher William Freed-Pastor, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist in the Dana-Farber Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology and Hale … Read more

How Clinical Trials Move Cancer Treatment Forward

Clinical trials assess the safety and efficacy of new cancer drugs or drug combinations. The data and learnings these studies collect help regulators determine if the treatments should be approved and made broadly available to patients.  Clinical researchers conduct clinical trials at cancer institutes, medical centers, clinics, and hospitals worldwide, all under strict guidelines. Many … Read more

Years of Research Help Forge a New Path in Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment  

Medical advances tend to unfold slowly over many years, fueled by successive clinical studies that build upon each other and together provide the evidence needed to change patient care. A key illustration of this point comes from a recent phase 3 clinical trial, published last October in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), which … Read more

Fundraiser, Marilyn Monroe Impersonator, Snow Queen: Breast Cancer Patient Does It All 

While planning her annual breast cancer fundraiser in Hull, Mass., Ellie Destito’s friends learned some surprising news. For the first time, their friend revealed that she was living with breast cancer herself.  “They had no idea,” recalls Destito, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2008. Through the years, she was treated with … Read more