Recent Articles

Three Recent Dana-Farber Research Studies to Know About  

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Every year, physician researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute reveal new treatments, protocols, and outcomes that advance cancer research. At one of this year’s biggest cancer research conferences, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Berlin, Germany, Dana-Farber researchers presented 22 studies in breast, lung, and bladder cancer.  Here are three of the most exciting advancements — several nearing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval — shared by our experts nearly 4,000 miles across the world.  An oral therapy for advanced breast cancer   Erica Mayer, MD, MPH, director … Read more

Forcing Cancer to Grow Up: Dana-Farber Scientists Reprogram Tumors to Behave Normally  

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Cancer can make its way through the body by shapeshifting through even the narrowest places, like a skilled driver navigating traffic. It has a sly way of adapting to its environment by finding detours around every blockade clinicians place in its path.   A study from the lab of Nilay Sethi, MD, PhD, in Dana-Farber’s Center … Read more

Three Ways Research Could Improve Pancreatic Cancer Treatment 

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Pancreatic cancer has long been difficult to detect and treat, but that is changing. Dana-Farber experts in the  Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research are focused on three key areas that are poised to shift the way people think about, treat, and detect pancreatic cancer.  Research shows the effectiveness of RAS therapeutics for pancreatic cancer   Medicines that target a family of genes called RAS represent a … Read more

Teen Survivor of T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Aims High After Stem Cell Transplant  

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Nolan Young has aspirations of a career in both the Air Force and FBI, and even at age 15 it’s easy to imagine him achieving these goals. After all, when you’ve already endured the rigors of chemotherapy, radiation, emergency surgeries, and a stem cell transplant for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) — all before high … Read more

Helping Older Adults with Cancer

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Tammy Hshieh, MD, MPH, is the lead geriatrician for geriatric oncology at Dana-Farber, working with the programs for Older Adults with Hematologic Malignancy, Older Adults with Breast Cancer, and Older Adults with Gastrointestinal Cancers. As a physician-scientist, her research focuses on promoting healthier aging and improving cognition and function as well as understanding and preventing … Read more

Teacher Returns to Education After a Whipple Procedure 

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Marsha Olsen’s grandmother always used to say, “You have one body, take good care of it.”  And for most of her life, Olsen has spread that message as a middle school physical education and health teacher instilling healthy habits in her students.   “I wanted all my students to have a positive experience in physical education, … Read more

Dana-Farber Research Uncovers Potential Targeted Therapy for Endometrial Cancer 

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Jessica St. Laurent, MD, was sure something had gone wrong. The results of an experiment she’d run showed that the cancer cells she was studying had abnormally high levels of a specific collection of proteins of interest to her team.  “I remember seeing the gradient and thinking, This can’t be right,” says St. Laurent, who … Read more

Targeted Therapy Offers Hope for Metastatic Cervical Cancer

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When Donna McDaniel came to Dana-Farber with what she thought was lung cancer in 2024, she could barely walk and struggled to breathe. She’d been treated elsewhere, but the drugs had seemingly stopped working. Her quality of life was suffering, and she couldn’t keep up with her busy catering job at Blue Cross Blue Shield.  … Read more

Love Comes Full Circle for Patient With Ovarian Cancer

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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

What is the Difference Between Gene Therapy and Immunotherapy?

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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 single … Read more

During Red Sox Games at Fenway Park, Patients Are Safe at Home in Erica’s Suite  

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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

Dialing Hope: One-to-One Program Volunteers Offer Answers 

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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

CAR T-Cell Therapy Delivers a Revelatory Experience for Myeloma Patient 

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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

5 Things to Know About Radioligand Therapy

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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

Dana-Farber Treats First Patient with Approved Gene Therapy for Beta Thalassemia 

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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

Stem Cell Transplant Recipient Forms Powerful Bond with Doctor and Donor  

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“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