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
There are two ways to fix things: the quick way and the careful one. In cancer, cells with BRCA1 mutations tend to choose the quick fix, leaving them vulnerable to medicines like PARP inhibitors. PARP inhibitors cause DNA to break. When broken strands and sketchy repairs build up, the cancer cell will die. One of … Read more
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—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
It is now possible to perform cervical cancer screening from the comfort of your own home with a prescribed at-home test approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The approved test enables people to collect their own vaginal samples at home and mail them in to a certified lab for testing. The test provides … Read more
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
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
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
Dana-Farber researchers have discovered ancient bacterial defenses and anti-defenses that may persist in some form in humans today and could provide insights into new approaches to cancer research and treatment. The tripwire is a go-to booby trap in movies. An aggressor trips over an unseen wire, setting off a trap that foils their plans. It’s … Read more
Whether it’s the fear of receiving bad news, the stress of managing logistics, or the emotional weight of confronting illness, the prospect of scheduling a medical appointment can be a source of significant anxiety for many patients. This feeling is both common and understandable, and while it can be managed, it’s important to acknowledge those … Read more
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
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
Cold plunges, the act of immersing the body in cold water for therapeutic benefit, have been used for centuries — from vinterbading in Scandinavia (swimming in cold water during winter months) to misogi in Japan (a Shinto practice of purifying the body under a cold or icy waterfall) to ice baths in the United States … Read more
Advances in cancer treatments depend on clinical trials of new drugs and other therapies. Nearly all cancer drugs in use today were tested in clinical trials. But in the United States, only 3 percent of cancer patients participate in these studies. Part of the reason is that there are many myths and misunderstandings that can keep patients … Read more