Antioxidants are substances that can help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, or unstable molecules. That damage, called “oxidative stress,” is linked to the kind of damage in DNA mutations that can contribute to the risk of certain cancers, as well as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Some studies have shown that … Read more
By Nicole LeBoeuf, MD, MPH, clinical director of Dana-Farber’s Center for Cutaneous Oncology While many people know that traditional chemotherapy drugs can increase sensitivity to the sun, some of the newer targeted therapies do as well. In fact, the risk of sun-related skin damage may be even higher with certain targeted drugs than with chemotherapy agents. … Read more
Cancers of the colon and rectum haven’t yet been as effectively treated with immunotherapy as have melanoma and lung cancer, but researchers are increasingly identifying patients who do appear to benefit from the immunity-boosting drugs – and devising strategies they hope will expand the reach of immunotherapy in colorectal cancers. Read More: Can Coffee Affect … Read more
Charlotte Kelly hated having her chemotherapy port accessed, but her mother, Patrice, found a way to calm the toddler. Each time tears came, Patrice would rub her nose against Charlotte’s – and the pair would get past their fears together. Today the ritual continues, even though Charlotte’s last neuroblastoma checkup at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and … Read more
As a pediatric dentist, Jay Schwab had a clear-cut enemy: dental disease in children and adolescents, and the apprehensions they faced in the dental environment. Cavities could neither hide from his drill nor fool his X-ray machine, and plaque could easily be scraped away. Generations of patients went away smiling and in good dental health. … Read more
As more people are surviving cancer than ever before, greater attention is being focused on the cardiotoxicity of therapies and their long-term effects on the heart. Radiation therapy and a number of commonly used chemotherapy drugs can impair heart function, says Anju Nohria, MD, a cardiologist who leads the cardio-oncology program at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s … Read more
Studies show that men are often less likely than women to keep up with regular doctor’s visits, or be honest about their symptoms, which may contribute to worse health outcomes. Learn More: Make an Appointment at Dana-Farber What is Genetic Testing? Being vigilant about health care screenings is one of the best things you can … Read more
Everyone’s weight fluctuates over the course of life, rising or falling with changes in diet and exercise, and with the normal slowing of metabolism that occurs as we age. When weight loss occurs for no apparent reason – especially if the drop is dramatic – a variety of physical or psychological causes could be responsible. … Read more
Treatments that improve the immune system’s ability to recognize and kill cancer cells are known as immunotherapy. For certain patients with advanced bladder cancer, immunotherapy is proving effective, and several immunotherapy drugs are approved for use in such patients. Currently approved treatments A checkpoint inhibitor is a drug — often made of antibodies — that … Read more
If the human immune system was a powerful racing car, you could say that scientists in the past few years have gained unprecedented control over how to make it accelerate, and what causes it to slow or stop. This knowledge has spawned new immunotherapy drugs that are delivering dramatic benefits to some patients with advanced … Read more
In March 2016, Ollie the pug, a therapy dog at Boston Children’s Hospital, paid a bedside visit to 7-year-old Carter Mock. Both dog and boy lost limbs to osteosarcoma, a cancer of the bone. Ollie’s left front leg was amputated at the shoulder. After removing the tumor in Carter’s left leg bone, surgeons fashioned a … Read more
When Tim Conners collected his wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2012 at the age of 18, he was blind from childhood leukemia that had spread to his optic nerve. A football player and wrestler who’d never been an outdoorsman, he asked to meet Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb the Seven Summits … Read more
For patients with advanced head and neck cancers, immune-based therapies have started to show results against these hard-to-treat tumors. Two immunotherapy drugs were approved in 2016 for use when standard treatments failed, and many other agents are being tested in clinical trials. Immunotherapies work by enhancing the body’s natural defenses against malignancies, and have made … Read more
Along with chemotherapy, radiation therapy is a common method for treating cancer; about half of patients receive the therapy, which uses high-energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells, during the course of their treatment. While radiation therapy is effective against cancer cells, it also leaves its mark on any normal cells it comes … Read more
A fire truck pulls into the truck bay and idles for a minute or two as a firefighter attaches tubing to filter the exhaust out of the station. The firefighter’s face may be close to the exhaust for 30 seconds while the tubing is attached. It’s a routine task, one that’s performed by the same … Read more
Cancer occurs worldwide, and commonly – in 2012, there were an estimated 14.1 million new cancer cases globally, according to the World Cancer Research Fund. But not all cancers are created equally. Certain countries have higher rates of some cancers and lower of others, depending on a number of factors, including health care access, environment, … Read more
A diagnosis of cancer always comes as a shock, and the patient naturally asks the physician, why did this happen? Is it something I did or didn’t do, or did I inherit it, or were chemicals in the environment to blame? “Why patients develop cancers is not well known,” explains Irene Ghobrial, MD, of Dana-Farber. … Read more
By Christopher Fletcher, MD, FRCPath Chief of Onco-Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Vice Chair for Anatomic Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital In order to determine whether a growth represents relapse of a previously diagnosed cancer or is a newly developed, separate tumor, doctors obtain a tissue sample from the patient and have it examined by a … Read more
It was once thought that people with certain personality traits were particularly susceptible to cancer. Neurotic people and introverts, in particular, were believed to be especially at risk for developing the disease. Personality type was also thought to play a role in whether people stricken with cancer would die of it. In the early 1960s, … Read more
In November, four states – California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Maine – passed measures legalizing marijuana for recreational use, bringing the total number of states with legal cannabis to eight, plus the District of Columbia. The vote in Maine was quite close and is expected to be challenged by opponents, but as of now, 26 states … Read more