Making Breakthroughs in ALL From Youth to Adulthood  

When Ann Carroll was diagnosed with cancer at age 28, her dream to get married and have a baby felt out of reach. Now, seven years later and cancer-free, she is living that dream with her husband and their 7-month-old son, Teddy.   “I didn’t think I would get this far,” says Carroll, of Boston, Massachusetts. “My whole journey started when I walked into my doctor’s office because I wasn’t feeling well.”   As a graduate student in 2019 studying clinical psychology at Northwestern University, Carroll started experiencing lightheadedness and tunnel … Read more

Young Cardiac Angiosarcoma Survivor Champions Narrative Medicine  

Since she was a young child in a family in which Portuguese and German were often spoken, Sarah Downey, 23, has been fascinated with different languages and cultures. Now, as a recent college graduate living with a very rare cancer of the heart known as cardiac angiosarcoma, Downey is committed to helping others facing cancer, along with their providers and caregivers, … Read more

Helping Older Adults with Cancer

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

Program Specializes in Older Adults with Gastrointestinal Cancers 

Dana-Farber’s Older Adult Gastrointestinal Cancer Program specializes in treating patients who are 65 and older and have gastrointestinal cancers, such as colorectal cancer, esophageal and gastric cancer, liver cancer, neuroendocrine and pancreatic cancer.   “Older adults are richly complex and multidimensional,” says gastrointestinal and geriatric oncologist Nadine McCleary, MD, MPH, who leads the program. “They deserve … Read more

Breast Cancer and Young People of Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Descent: What You Need to Know 

Between 2000 and 2021, breast cancer rates in people under 50 of Asian or Pacific Islander decent rose by nearly 50%, from 36 to 55 cases per 100,000, with sharper increases between 2020 and 2021. Rates of breast cancer in young people are known to be rising in general, but this rate increase, according to … Read more

Study Highlights Unique Needs of Young Adults with Colorectal Cancer

Clinicians and researchers have recognized a disturbing trend in recent years: colorectal cancer (CRC) in young people is skyrocketing. In individuals under the age of 50, the incidence of CRC has increased about 2% each year since the 1990s, and, according to the American Cancer Society, is now the leading cause of death in males … Read more

Lung Cancer Cases Rising in Young Women of Asian and Latina Descent: What You Need to Know 

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

Young Adult Cancer Patients Prove Powerful Advocates in Washington D.C.

Cancer has not stopped Bethany Ross and Jeremy Pivor from undertaking numerous adventures, from Pivor’s sailing trips on the high seas to Bethany’s forays into skydiving and outdoor rock climbing. It is also often the catalyst for their actions, such as when both Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center patients headed to Washington, D.C. to advocate on … Read more

Young Mother Embraces Life with Metastatic Breast Cancer

Anne Keane is a big fan of counting, from laps swam to miles ran to birthdays celebrated by her daughter Ruby. The most recent was Ruby’s seventh, and Keane plans on marking many more as she continues enjoying an active lifestyle with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). “We’re just so lucky to get to wake up … Read more

Providing Emotional Support to Young Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Cancer is a disease that’s often associated with older people; however, a growing number of younger patients are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Since the 1990s, the rate of colorectal cancer diagnoses has more than doubled in adults age 20 to 49. Alexa Morell is one of these patients. She didn’t expect her diagnosis: metastatic … Read more

Fertility Preservation Program Offers Choices and Chances to Pediatric Cancer Patients

The shock of a new cancer diagnosis was still settling in for Isabel Nordby when she and her parents made a decision that could greatly impact the teenager’s future — if and when the time is right. Before starting her chemotherapy protocol for Ewing sarcoma in April 2020, Isabel, then 15, had one of her … Read more