On his 75th birthday, when most people would be celebrating, William Scimone received some of the worst news of his life: he had anal cancer. It was a devastating blow, but having watched his mother battle lung cancer years earlier, Scimone knew three things: he needed the best care available, he needed the support of … Read more
The third year Jerome Krasnow’s annual bloodwork came back showing signs of anemia, his doctor sent him to a hematologist. That doctor diagnosed multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. “Most people with multiple myeloma find out because they are in pain or breaking bones,” says Krasnow, who was diagnosed at age 70 and is … Read more
While working towards his engineering degree at the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Chile, Matías Vergara Alvarez, MS, played a central role in caring for his parents through their cancer diagnoses — a time in his life that shaped his career. “I was interested in engineering, but I made a complete switch in my job because … Read more
Before Mary and Abby Kissiday-Diamond were married, they met regularly at a Cambridge church for discussion groups hosted by the lesbian civil rights group, Daughters of Bilitis. Through 1969 to the early 2000s, these meetings were organized as a safe place for members of the lesbian community to express themselves. Mary was immediately intrigued by … Read more
Sarcomas are cancers that occur in bone or soft tissue, such as muscles and fat. These cancers are rare and diverse, with more than 150 different variations. Treatment is advancing for some sarcomas, but most forms of the disease are still treated using chemotherapy, radiation and/or surgery. In some cases, there are few options if the cancer comes back. Dana-Farber physician-scientists are evaluating innovative new therapies in clinical trials … Read more
Mammograms are specialized, low-dose X-rays of the breast that can show if and where tumors are located in breast tissue. Mammography is an effective tool for early detection of breast cancer and is considered the primary tool for breast cancer screening. “Breast cancer is a common disease that affects millions of women globally, and detecting … Read more
New medicines called RAS inhibitors are dramatically changing the way pancreatic cancer will be treated over the coming years. They are a beacon of hope for patients with the disease. One oral RAS inhibitor for pancreatic cancer has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adult patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma … Read more
Annie Beauchemin, BSN, RN, has spent 41 years caring for children and families at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund Clinic. Now an Oncology Nurse Navigator in the Pediatric Ambulatory Clinic, Beauchemin reflects on the lessons she’s learned throughout her career, the importance of presence and connection in patient care, and the advice she shares with … Read more
Infusion Nurse Jolie Bellemore, BSN, RN, has some experience with American Sign Language (ASL) from college, and was excited to use her knowledge when she was paired with a new 13-year-old patient who was Deaf. However, as Bellmore attempted to converse in sign language with Honoka Kobori, both of them quickly realized that they were … Read more
Many cancer therapies work by docking into specific “binding pockets” on the surface of proteins that are driving the disease. Scientists are continually searching for new binding sites for future cancer drugs, but this process can be slow and cumbersome. Now, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in collaboration with scientists at MIT and École Polytechnique … Read more
Mary Shertenlieb wanted to toe the line at the Boston Marathon in 2025, but her body was not on board; she was in the middle of treatment for her fourth cancer diagnosis. This year, however, she ran, completing her fifth Boston and her sixth marathon overall. “I feel so lucky that I get to do this,” says Shertenlieb, age 50, who has raised $156,000 to date for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “I feel this tremendous gratitude at the start line for the generosity and understanding … Read more
Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD, has been trying to understand how breast cancer forms ever since starting her lab at Dana-Farber in 1998. Specifically, she has wanted to know how ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a pre-cancerous state that appears only in the milk ducts in the breast, changes into invasive breast cancer, which is breast … Read more
It was a celebratory moment, in more ways than one. Kalina Martel and her teammates on the EVO travel softball team had just won their final summer tournament, and as the middle schoolers hugged and high-fived on the diamond, a steady stream of bubbles rose above them — courtesy of Kalina’s then-two-year-old brother Kole. Kole … Read more
The Mattapan Community Health Center lobby was bustling with families and doctors heading to and from appointments. Among them stood Dana-Farber Community Outreach Specialists Samantha Destin, MHA, and Anisa Nabily, MEd behind a table with information about breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer screening. Many in the health center were in a rush, but Destin and … Read more
Anal cancer is a cluster of abnormal cells that grow in the anal canal and may appear like firm lumps or bumps, an open sore, or wart-like. Those who are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) are more likely to develop anal cancer, among other types of cancer, such as cervical and head and neck cancers. HPV refers to a large … Read more
One by one, our immune cells march to the frontlines when it gets a whiff of an invader. They are ready to fight and protect our systems from what is about to attack. But what if we can recruit these specialized soldiers for glioblastoma — a malignant brain cancer that struggles to have enough immune … Read more
The first time Ashley Bernath dropped her then-three-year-old daughter, Charlie, off at preschool, there was no hug, no tears, no long goodbye — just a quick “see you later” and a full-steam-ahead dash for the classroom. Charlie’s excitement that morning in September 2025 was understandable. She had spent the previous 15 months in active cancer … Read more
When the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies’ Practice Manager Sara Menendez, LAT, ATC, learned she had Lynch syndrome at age 30, she had dozens of questions. A hereditary condition, Lynch syndrome raises a person’s risk for cancer in several organs including the colon, endometrium, ovaries, and skin. Suddenly faced with this new information, … Read more
As she got out of the car and waved goodbye to her husband and her mother, Margaret-Ann Simonetta’s shoulders stiffened with anxiety. It was April 2021, still in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she was headed into Brigham and Women’s Hospital for a colectomy – a total surgical removal of her colon. With … Read more
The body is continuously supporting the state of healing and growth — a vital function for human survival. But it can easily be taken advantage of by cancer. Angiogenesis, a process that helps the body heal by creating new capillary connections that deliver oxygen and nutrients within the body, can be hijacked to grow tumors. Drugs that block the process of blood-vessel creation, known … Read more