Viruses aren’t thought of as living beings. Rather, they are collections of genetic instructions that hijack the replication machinery of living cells to perpetuate themselves. A specific type of virus called a retrovirus does this by integrating a DNA copy of its RNA genome into the host cell’s DNA. This capability has proven to be … Read more
Shelly Sepulveda grew up in Borger, Texas, a Panhandle town with a population of fewer than 10,000 people. A strong sense of connectedness bound the community together, creating long-lasting friendships and a tight-knit feel. When Sepulveda and her wife, Tami, relocated to Medway, Massachusetts, to continue their nursing careers, they found that familiar sense of … Read more
Gene therapy and immunotherapy are both types of treatment for cancer and other diseases. They represent different approaches to disease therapy, though there is some overlap. What is gene therapy? Gene therapy is a way of treating or preventing disease by altering the genetic instructions within an individual’s cells. Most diseases aren’t caused by a … Read more
With the Boston Red Sox having their best season in years and contending for the playoffs, crowds have been regularly filling Fenway Park to capacity this summer. For one small contingent of these baseball fans, the trips will prove especially meaningful regardless of what transpires on the field. This rotating group, mostly young children and … Read more
On the surface, it might appear that Meghan McLyman and Jay Wood don’t have much in common. McLyman is a mother and professor who teaches dance, and Wood is a stay-at-home father and former architect. They came to Dana-Farber for different reasons — McLyman had breast cancer and Wood was diagnosed with prostate cancer — … Read more
Linda Lane was still fatigued months after having COVID-19 in January of 2021. “I told my doctor that I had not been this tired since I had a newborn in the house,” says Lane, now 57 and living on Cape Cod. “That got her attention.” Her bloodwork came back with abnormal results. By May, the … Read more
Radioligand therapy is an innovative medicine that specifically targets cancer cells. Instead of using chemicals to kill the cancer, it uses radioactivity, a sub-atomic physical phenomenon that can damage cells. Several radioligand therapies, which also may be called radiopharmaceutical therapy or theranostics, are approved for the treatment of a range of cancers, including prostate cancer … Read more
A few years ago, Oscar Diep, a 33-year-old software engineer living in Weymouth, Mass., started needing blood transfusions more often to manage a blood disorder called beta thalassemia. He also noticed that it was becoming harder for the nurses to find a vein for his infusions. On top of this, Diep and his then girlfriend, … Read more
“The world needs more Dr. Soiffers – and more Nicoles.” Such is the wisdom of Judy Mangione, 80, who credits these two individuals for the fulfilling life she is enjoying with her husband, Bob, and their combined six children and 10 grandchildren. Robert Soiffer, MD, treated Mangione with the January 2022 stem cell transplant that … Read more
New approaches to treatment are improving outcomes for patients with aggressive prostate cancer, which is prostate cancer that has spread or is at higher risk of spreading. In addition, new tests are helping guide treatment choices as more treatment options become available. Therapies used to treat aggressive prostate cancer include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and newer … Read more
Like many people, Karen Lagasse has never been a big fan of the dentist. But she’ll always be thankful for a 2013 tooth extraction for paving the way to a life-saving discovery. Noticing Lagasse’s elevated blood pressure, her dentist asked when she had last visited the doctor. Lagasse admitted it had been a few years, … Read more
For a long time, the standard treatment for younger patients with newly diagnosed mantle cell lymphoma involved intensive chemotherapy, called induction therapy, followed by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT, where the patient’s own stem cells are used), followed by maintenance therapy to help keep the cancer from coming back. Based on recent clinical research involving … Read more
When Clelia Lavoie, then 49, began experiencing abdominal pain in 2019, she had a feeling it was something serious despite dismissals from her doctor. Lavoie’s intuition was right. A colonoscopy led to a diagnosis of stage IV colorectal cancer that had metastasized to her thyroid, back, and liver. She needed surgery to remove part of … Read more
As a 20-year mammographer, 72-year-old Catherine Mulqueen often encountered patients at their most vulnerable. And she was always proactive about her own healthcare, especially because her cystic breasts made potentially worrisome lumps hard to detect. Mulqueen stayed current on mammograms until 2010 when her husband, Michael, became gravely ill with renal cell carcinoma. When she … Read more
Editor’s Note: Kathy Ball-Toncic completed her 162-mile PMC ride on Aug. 2-3. “I cried many tears of joy,” she said afterwards. “A particular highlight was my oncologist Dr. Huffman coming out to cheer me on. That was a great surprise!” Nearly 1,300 cyclists will be riding in their first Pan-Mass Challenge® (PMC) this weekend, each … Read more
What is TIL (tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte) therapy? Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte, or TIL, therapy uses a patient’s own immune system T cells to fight cancer. The therapy involves removing T cells from a piece of the patient’s tumor – where the T cells have congregated after being alerted to the cancer – growing them outside the body, then … Read more
Like many teenagers, Isabella (Bella) Snow Fraser, 15, enjoys immersing herself in action role-play games online. Her favorite, Genshin Impact, allows participants to join an interstellar traveler as they seek their lost twin across a mysterious world of danger and unforeseen challenges. This futuristic fantasy in many ways mirrors Bella’s own life. After being diagnosed … Read more
As powerful as modern cancer medicines are, they don’t work for everyone. What if there were a quick test doctors could perform on an individual person’s cancer to help determine which approved treatment would work best for them? This testing tool is in development now and could, with further research, become a valuable part of … Read more
From vibrantly frosted cupcakes to fruity cereal and rainbow bagels, synthetic dyes are often found in a variety of foods. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows the use of seven synthetic dyes to impart color on food, but many are being phased out amid growing public concern about whether synthetic food dyes (also … Read more
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