Tumors are experts at dodging the immune system. This evasion not only helps to ensure their survival, but also has important implications for treatment. That’s because cancer therapies that harness the immune system, such as CAR T-cells or other engineered immune cells, are often rendered ineffective by the milieu that surrounds a tumor — known … Read more
The genetic landscape of prostate cancer susceptibility in Africa is, like the continent itself, a picture of sweeping diversity, the largest study of the phenomenon concludes. The findings, published in the journal Nature Genetics, are an important step in unravelling why prostate cancer rates are highest in men of African descent, whether they live in … Read more
Six years ago, Ina Kornetsky was looking forward to a new chapter in her life. The lifelong teacher had most recently worked with older adults before retiring, and she had a deep understanding of the kind of life she wanted as she approached 90. She was preparing to move from Stoughton, Mass. into a continuing … Read more
Elizabeth Johnston, then 37, was healthy and busy with two young children and a blossoming career running a public relations firm in Connecticut. One of her clients is the Hartford Marathon Foundation and in 2015, she decided to start running smaller stretches herself. “I was in the best shape of my life,” Johnston recalls. Little … Read more
As we age, we may turn down the volume on our music and dial down the number of late nights, but deep inside our bodies, expression levels of a gene called midkine are ratcheting upward. This uptick appears to have impact on our health. New work from the Dana-Farber lab of breast cancer researcher Kornelia … Read more
On the surface of every cell are receptors that interact with the cellular world around them. These receptors play a variety of roles. The transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), for instance, pulls iron into the cell for fuel. It does so rapidly and continuously, as if it were a child spinning in a revolving door. Approximately … Read more
In the family of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) proteins, CDK5 always seemed to be a misfit. Despite being structurally similar to other CDKs, and despite the “cyclin” in its name, it did not participate in the family business of ushering cells through the cycle of growth and division. Or so scientists thought, and textbooks said. In … Read more
Andrew Ciardelli’s annual brothers’ hunting trip in Idaho took a turn for the worse when the stomach issues he had lived with for years suddenly became unbearable. Years before the trip, a urologist told Ciardelli that the cause of his pain and the blood in his stool was hemorrhoids. “They told me as long as … Read more
When Michael Koran, 83, came to Dana-Farber for a recurrence of sinus cancer, he received unwelcome news — the cancer was no longer treatable. The focus of Koran’s care then shifted to managing his symptoms and finding ways to cope with the emotions he was experiencing. Koran’s care team offered him expressive arts therapy. “They … Read more
Naomi Dogan, PhD, still remembers a visit to the hospital earlier this year for blood work, after joining a clinical trial for patients incurring symptoms related to polycythemia vera — one of a group of rare blood disorders known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). In a far corner of the large room a machine quietly hummed … Read more
Scott Menta describes himself as someone who “likes to stay on top of my health.” So, when he read about a new test that screens for cancer based on tumor cell DNA within the blood, he sprang for the cost of two tests — one for him and one for his wife. His wife’s test … Read more
In 2016, the key to naturally deconstructing plastic seemed to have been found. News had broken about plastic-eating bacteria discovered in Japan. The bacterium contains a protein that can break down plastic, a pollutant that is linked to health issues including cancer. Since then, protein engineers have been trying to give that protein superpowers not … Read more
Andrew Combes was early for his first appointment at Dana-Farber. He had traveled all the way from Tiny, Ontario, in Canada, and was eager to be seen to get a second opinion on his diagnosis of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. To pass the time on this beautiful mid-October day, he meandered … Read more
Like all vaccines, prostate cancer vaccines work by stimulating the body’s immune system. Unlike vaccines for the flu, COVID-19 and other infections, which protect against disease, prostate cancer vaccines are a form of treatment. Treatment vaccines activate the immune response against cancer cells by targeting antigens – cancer-related proteins produced in greater abundance in tumor … Read more
When breast cancer metastasizes, it often heads for the brain, where it can be exceptionally difficult to root out. The key to preventing the spread of the cancer, or thwarting it if it does reach the brain, is to understand the mechanism that turns stationary tumor cells into nomadic intruders. In a recent study, a … Read more
A white patient looking for a stem cell donor has about a 75% chance of finding a fully-matched unrelated donor in the U.S. NMDP Registry. A fully matched donor has the same human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type, a set of eight genetic variables that dictate how the immune system communicates. Finding a fully matched donor … Read more
Kathy Giusti was driving in rush hour traffic one January day in 1996 when her doctor called and requested they meet the next morning about her recent blood tests. Alarmed, Giusti insisted on more details, and the doctor eventually shared his concerns that she may have multiple myeloma. Giusti’s response to this news was quick … Read more
In the past 25 years, cases of lung cancer have been rising among people without previous tobacco use. These cancer cases are approximately 2.5 times more likely to be found in women than in men. These women tend to be younger, and cases are rising more rapidly in people of Asian or Hispanic/Latina descent. “Asian … Read more
Jim Omel, MD, helped many cancer patients during his long career as a family physician, and that has not changed since his own 1997 diagnosis with multiple myeloma. What has changed is the reach of his support. While Omel, 77, cared for primarily farming families near his Nebraska clinic during 25-plus years in practice, his … Read more
Andrea Baxter remembers talking with girlfriends prior to her first mammogram in February 2023, just four months after her 40th birthday. “We joked about how these routine scans were a sign of getting older,” she recalls. “Nobody thought anything bad would come from them.” From working in the insurance field, Baxter knew that mammograms — … Read more