Some things are best kept under lock and key, like oncogenes, which are genes that are associated with cancer growth because they signal cells to grow rapidly. They are valuable to certain cells at key moments, such as during early development of organs, but most of the time, cells keep them tucked away using the … Read more
Fluffy dust bunnies, fuzzy mold, or wild racoons can find refuge in the ductwork of any home, slowly sprawling out and quickly becoming a problem. And like any home, the tiny channels in our body can get blocked, sometimes by the dirtiest kind—cancer. Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer that forms in the bile duct. The … Read more
On his 75th birthday, when most people would be celebrating, William Scimone received some of the worst news of his life: he had anal cancer. It was a devastating blow, but having watched his mother battle lung cancer years earlier, Scimone knew three things: he needed the best care available, he needed the support of … Read more
Anal cancer is a cluster of abnormal cells that grow in the anal canal and may appear like firm lumps or bumps, an open sore, or wart-like. Those who are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) are more likely to develop anal cancer, among other types of cancer, such as cervical and head and neck cancers. HPV refers to a large … Read more
If you look down at your stomach, glide your eyes diagonally from your belly button to the lower right side of your abdomen: that’s your appendix. It is a finger-shaped organ that stems from your colon. With two primary functions — supporting the immune system and potentially serving as a safe house for good bacteria, as theorized from some– the appendix is a small, but mighty organ that is important to take note of, especially given the recent … Read more
When Clelia Lavoie, then 49, began experiencing abdominal pain in 2019, she had a feeling it was something serious despite dismissals from her doctor. Lavoie’s intuition was right. A colonoscopy led to a diagnosis of stage IV colorectal cancer that had metastasized to her thyroid, back, and liver. She needed surgery to remove part of … Read more
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
Once considered rare, the incidence of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) has risen over the past few decades. More than 100,000 people in the United States have neuroendocrine tumors, which exceeds the incidence of both pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer in the U.S. NETs are tumors that originate from neuroendocrine cells, which are cells found throughout the … Read more