Recent Articles

What’s the Difference Between Outpatient Stem Cell Transplants and Inpatient Transplants?

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A stem cell transplant is a procedure during which doctors either replace diseased or ineffective stem cells with healthy new stem cells as treatment for leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood cancers or diseases. The infusion of healthy stem cells reestablishes a healthy blood supply and rebuilds the body’s immune system to effectively fight cancer.   At Dana-Farber, patients can be eligible for a stem cell transplant in either an outpatient or inpatient setting. This is often determined by a variety of factors, including … Read more

Can Castor Oil Cure Cancer? 

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Castor oil is a thick, yellowish vegetable oil extracted from castor beans native to warm temperate regions. It is often available in grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores.  Despite its long history in providing laxative results, there’s little research to suggest this product can be used as a remedy for other health concerns such as cancer.  Can castor oil be used to cure cancer or reduce my risk of it?   Castor oil has many potential uses and applications, … Read more

Thirty Years After Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Still Going Strong 

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It was a hot day on the links in New Hampshire in July 2014. Carol MacKenzie recalls that her neck was strangely sore. By the end of the round of golf, she had a fever.  Soon after, MacKenzie met with an oncologist. In 1996, she had been diagnosed with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer and successfully treated. Eighteen years later, … Read more

Still Skiing at 82 After Stem Cell Transplant 

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Dienna Lehner grew up in a Massachusetts town with a small ski hill and a rope tow.   “It was hot dogs, tomato soup, and an outdoor fireplace,” she recalls. “And it was Nirvana.”  Later in life, she opted to spend her winters in Park City, Utah, to enjoy big mountain skiing. The conditions have been mild this year, but last year she skied all season – which … Read more

Making Breakthroughs in ALL From Youth to Adulthood  

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When Ann Carroll was diagnosed with cancer at age 28, her dream to get married and have a baby felt out of reach. Now, seven years later and cancer-free, she is living that dream with her husband and their 7-month-old son, Teddy.   “I didn’t think I would get this far,” says Carroll, of Boston, Massachusetts. “My whole journey started when I walked into my doctor’s office because I wasn’t feeling well.”   As a graduate student in 2019 studying clinical psychology at Northwestern University, Carroll started experiencing lightheadedness and tunnel … Read more

Cell-Death Safety Net a Potential New Cancer Target 

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In the rare event that an elevator cable breaks, modern buildings have additional fail-safe mechanisms. For example, counterweight and mechanical brakes prevent the car from plummeting to the ground.   Similarly, cells have fail-safe mechanisms to prevent them from death under stress, according to new research from the lab of Dana-Farber investigator Loren Walensky, MD, PhD. A well-known process in cells keeps pro-death proteins at bay. Walensky … Read more

Young Cardiac Angiosarcoma Survivor Champions Narrative Medicine  

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Since she was a young child in a family in which Portuguese and German were often spoken, Sarah Downey, 23, has been fascinated with different languages and cultures. Now, as a recent college graduate living with a very rare cancer of the heart known as cardiac angiosarcoma, Downey is committed to helping others facing cancer, along with their providers and caregivers, … Read more

Bond with Clinical Team Helps Retiree Through MDS and Stem Cell Transplant

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Bill Kelley’s unbreakable bond with the clinical team that guided him through myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a group of rare blood disorders impacting the bone marrow, and a stem cell transplant was never more evident than during a Sunday night in the summer of 2025.  Kelley’s sister Joan had arranged a surprise 70th birthday baseball outing for him and 30 of his friends and family members at Boston’s Fenway Park, where Kelley had grown up … Read more

Prostate Cancer Patient Finds Renewed Hope Through a Clinical Trial 

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In the kitchen of Sabor de Minas, Caesar Sodre plates delicious Brazilian fare. For Sodre, 66, food is a love language and a way to care for his customers. For more than two decades, the bright blue Brazilian restaurant in Framingham, Massachusetts, has been a cornerstone of his community. That community — including staff and longtime customers — returned the care by … Read more

Ten Cancer-Related Breakthroughs Giving Us Hope in 2026 

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Cancer treatment has evolved dramatically in the first quarter of this century, but there is still much more to do to improve the lives of people with cancer.   At Dana-Farber, research continues in the clinic and in the lab in efforts to continue to bring advancements in treatment and prevention for patients. That research has resulted in exciting … Read more

Dana-Farber Researchers Create Experimental AI-based Oncologist’s Assistant 

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There are over 100 precision medicines approved for the treatment of cancer. These therapies work to shut down the cancer-driving effects of specific mutations.  Matching a patient to a medicine — the practice of precision oncology — is complex and advancing rapidly. However, there is no easy, standardized way for oncologists to stay informed of advances.  “The clinicians we engaged with said that catching up with FDA approvals is far … Read more

What You Need to Know About Rising Appendix Cancer Rates  

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If you look down at your stomach, glide your eyes diagonally from your belly button to the lower right side of your abdomen: that’s your appendix. It is a finger-shaped organ that stems from your colon.   With two primary functions — supporting the immune system and potentially serving as a safe house for good bacteria, as theorized from some– the appendix is a small, but mighty organ that is important to take note of, especially given the recent … Read more

Targeted Therapy Opens Possibility for Teen with Brain Tumor  

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Like many teenagers with cancer, Declan Cassidy, 16, has endured having his life interrupted by surgery, chemotherapy infusions, and other treatments. In his case, however, the greatest ongoing challenge goes beyond the cancer itself.  Declan is legally blind, the result of an optic pathway glioma — a slow-growing brain tumor that forms in and around the optic nerves connecting the eye to the brain. … Read more

Donating Her Blood Stem Cells to Patient is a No-Brainer for Dana-Farber Staffer 

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The call from the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) seemed to come from out of nowhere, but it bore some hopeful news: Dana-Farber senior project manager Alexandria Monteiro’s stem cells were a match for a stranger with leukemia who needed a stem cell transplant.  “I don’t remember signing up,” Monteiro admits, “but based on who I know myself to be,” she continues, “it does sound like something I would have done.”  … Read more

What You Need to Know About Fiber and Cancer Risk

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Feeling constipated? You may not be getting enough fiber in your diet.   Fiber-rich diets are a key component to preventing and reducing constipation and can help you maintain a healthy gut. Dietary fiber offers many health benefits from reducing chronic diseases like diabetes to lowering your risk of some types of cancer, such as colorectal cancer.  Fiber is an undigested nutrient that passes through the body when you consume fruits, vegetables, … Read more