Alanna Devlin Ball spent 12 years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander and serving with the elite SEAL Team TWO special operations unit. She was trained to always be ready for action, and worked to do so even when facing a daunting off-the-job challenge: brain cancer. In between radiation sessions … Read more
When researchers report the survival effect of a cancer drug in a clinical trial, they almost always use a measure called hazard ratio. For all its ubiquity, however, hazard ratio has a hazard of its own: it’s a bit tricky to understand. A 2019 study found that 47% of researchers misinterpreted hazard ratio (HR) when … Read more
For nearly a century, scientists have appreciated that cancer cells rely on a process called glycolysis to grow and divide at very high rates. In the process, the cells avidly break down glucose to produce lactate, which has been considered a passive by-product — a mechanism known as the Warburg Effect, named after the German … 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
A novel hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) method utilizing ‘graft sculpting’ is being tested in a phase 1 clinical trial in patients with refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who are at the highest risk of relapse after ‘standard’ transplants. In fact, the patients in the trial don’t qualify for a standard … Read more
Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) is a blood cancer that is extremely rare, affecting around 1500 people in the US each year. About 20 percent of those cases are considered familial, meaning that many members of the same family also have some form of blood cancer, such as myeloma or lymphoma. An even smaller group — five … Read more
Overall, cancer death rates have declined by 33% since 1991, according to a Jan. 2023 American Cancer Society report. Multiple cancers like leukemia, melanoma, and kidney cancer have seen significant declines in mortality due to great advances in treatments. Prostate cancer rates had been on the decline for two decades, but the ACS report remarks that … Read more
It’s quite common to experience digestive troubles while undergoing chemotherapy and even for some time after treatment. Since many chemotherapies target fast-growing cells, like cancer cells, they can disrupt the growth of some cells involved in digestion. In some cases, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation can be the result, all of which can be uncomfortable … Read more
For many patients with lymphoma or multiple myeloma, a stem cell transplant with their own stem cells (an autologous transplant) or CAR T-cell therapy can extend life significantly or even cure the disease. A variety of factors influence which of these two treatments is recommended, including: What is the difference between stem cell transplant and … Read more
Radiation therapy is used to treat a variety of cancers. High-energy waves or particles directed at tumor cells can damage their DNA, slowing their growth or causing them to die. Because normal cells in the radiation field can also be damaged, radiation therapy may produce side effects for some patients. These vary with the type … Read more
Millions of people regularly take or use contraceptives, such as birth control pills, to avoid unwanted pregnancy or relieve menstruation-related side effects such as cramps or heavy bleeding. There is some evidence that contraceptives may affect cancer risk — specifically, that oral contraceptives may increase the likelihood of developing breast and cervical cancers but reduce … Read more
At first, Joy Mills and Arthur “Buck” Benedict look like any other happy, older couple traveling by ferry from their home on Peaks Island, Maine, to Portland. Admiring the beautiful views, they sit outside when weather permits. They laugh, chat with friends, and occasionally needle each other during the 18-minute trip. Once a month, the … Read more
Finding a lump anywhere can be concerning, but oftentimes, the cause is unrelated to cancer. A lump behind the ear could simply be a swollen lymph node caused by an infection, common cold, or a skin condition. In some uncommon cases, the lump can be a tumor, and may either be benign or cancerous. There … Read more
To a dark chocolate lover, the possibility that their favorite treat could protect against cancer might sound too good to be true. And, largely, it is. As a general rule, no specific food, no matter how healthy, can single-handedly lower cancer risk. What matters, says Hillary Wright, MEd, RD, LDN, a senior clinical nutritionist at … Read more
After losing her first husband of 30 years to cancer, Candace “Candy” Langford felt blessed to find love again. And when she learned six weeks after her June 2018 wedding that she had locally advanced pancreatic cancer, shock blended with sorrow — because she knew her new life partner had also been down that road … Read more
Doug Kroc taught social studies for 40 years, but these days the retiree is more interested in making history than teaching it. Not the kind of events found in textbooks, but simple moments spent swimming and kayaking with his family or riding his bike along the backroads of Vermont. So when Kroc, 70, developed a … Read more
In March 2020, Isa Infante, PhD, JD, who was 78 at the time, began to itch all over her body. It was a bizarre symptom for Infante, who had always been very active and adhered to a strict macrobiotic diet. “Every inch of my body itched,” Infante remembers. “From the top of my head to … Read more
Both allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplants involve treating a patient with chemotherapy followed by an infusion of blood-forming stem cells, with a goal of curing the cancer or extending the time before the disease relapses. In adults, transplants are used to treat a range of blood-related cancers, myelodysplastic syndromes, and non-malignant blood disorders. Autologous … Read more
Langley Perer thought her breast cancer was in the rearview mirror. In 2017, she had received a shocking diagnosis at age 35 of ductal in situ carcinoma (DCIS), the earliest form of breast cancer. “As far as I knew, I had no family history of breast cancer,” she says. DCIS is sometimes referred to as … Read more
Cari Carpenter is a pioneer. Coming of age athletically in the 1970s, when competitive sports were just opening up for young women, she paved the way for the next generation — including a daughter who played and now coaches college field hockey. It’s the same in her professional life, where Carpenter runs an innovative program … Read more