In the kitchen of Sabor de Minas, Caesar Sodre plates delicious Brazilian fare. For Sodre, 66, food is a love language and a way to care for his customers. For more than two decades, the bright blue Brazilian restaurant in Framingham, Massachusetts, has been a cornerstone of his community. That community — including staff and longtime customers — returned the care by … Read more
New approaches to treatment are improving outcomes for patients with aggressive prostate cancer, which is prostate cancer that has spread or is at higher risk of spreading. In addition, new tests are helping guide treatment choices as more treatment options become available. Therapies used to treat aggressive prostate cancer include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and newer … Read more
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men. When found early, before it has spread, patients can do extremely well. However, prostate cancer risks vary due to genetics, health care access, socioeconomics, and environmental exposures. Some groups have higher risks and worse outcomes. For example: The best way to improve your chances of … Read more
Cancer vaccines are a form of immunotherapy aimed at enhancing the immune system’s ability to recognize and attack cancer cells, or to protect against certain forms of cancer caused by viruses. Vaccine can help prevent some cancers There are two approved preventive vaccines directed against cancer-causing viruses. Vaccines against cancer-causing or other infectious microbes typically … Read more
African Americans have a 60 percent higher incidence of prostate cancer compared to other ethnic groups, and a 150 percent higher risk of dying from it — in part because African Americans tend to have a more aggressive form. They are also more likely to develop prostate cancer at an earlier age and to have … Read more
Men diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer now have access to a new tool on the TrueNTH USA website to help them prepare for their first meeting with a cancer physician. The tool, called Personal Patient Profile-Prostate (P3P), was created by Dana-Farber researchers and is now available to all men with non-metastatic prostate cancer though TrueNTH … Read more
Blood tests for the presence of substances called tumor markers can be helpful in diagnosing cancer and assessing how well treatment is working. But such tests alone generally can’t tell for certain whether someone has cancer or not. That’s why they are used in conjunction with other methods, such as imaging scans and biopsies. Hematological … Read more
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 180,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, with African American men 60 percent more likely to develop the disease than other ethnic groups. Fortunately, the vast majority of prostate cancer diagnoses will be a slow-growing, highly treatable form of the disease. For many men diagnosed … Read more
Medically reviewed by Mark Pomerantz, MD Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, is a protein naturally produced by the prostate gland in men. Because prostate cancer can increase the level of PSA in the blood, many doctors and professional organizations recommend that men over age 50 receive a PSA test in conjunction with a digital rectal exam … Read more
Age is the biggest single risk factor for cancer. Risk increases significantly after age 50, and half of all cancers occur at age 66 and above. According to the National Cancer Institute, one quarter of new cancer diagnoses are in people aged 65 to 74. The median age of diagnosis varies in different cancer types … Read more
Hormone therapy might more accurately be called anti-hormone therapy because it works by blocking hormones that spur certain cancers to grow. Hormones act by attaching to proteins, called receptors, on the outside of cells, resulting in cell or cancer growth. Reducing this type of cancer cell growth by blocking hormones is used most commonly in … Read more
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in the United States, after skin cancer. Yet, “most men die with prostate cancer, not of prostate cancer,” says Mark Pomerantz, MD, a medical oncologist in Dana-Farber’s Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, who recently shared the latest in prostate cancer research and treatment during a live … Read more
Since professional cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996, many men have wondered about the connection between cycling and testicular cancer, as well as prostate cancer. While a number of studies have looked into a link between the sport and cancer, the findings to date are inconclusive, says Mark Pomerantz, MD. “This … Read more
Just as there is no one-size-fits-all number for high blood pressure, a variety of factors can influence whether a man’s PSA score is considered above normal. PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a protein that’s often associated with prostate cancer. A PSA test measures the level of the protein in a man’s blood. A score of … Read more
Since 1980, more than 88,000 cyclists have taken to Massachusetts’ roads for the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) to raise funds for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber. Among the riders are many patients, their family members, and their doctors. Christopher Sweeney, MBBS, medical oncologist in Dana-Farber’s Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, is one of them. … Read more
Cancer develops differently for everyone. We all have different genetics, lifestyles, habits, and food preferences, and these differences can lead to different cancer risks in various people. “Cancer is a disease that can happen in anyone based on your family history, genetics, lifestyle, and environmental exposures,” says Tim Rebbeck, director of the Center for Global Health at Dana-Farber. Vital organs include the colon, which play a role in our digestive system, and the lungs, which help us breathe and deliver nutrients to our whole body. Colon … Read more
“Science and Society” was the theme of this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 50th annual meeting. The meeting showcased cancer research from around the world. Some new findings from Dana-Farber researchers included: Joyce Liu, MD, MPH, of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers reported that, in a phase 2 clinical trial, … Read more
Those passing them in the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care at Dana-Farber may assume Pamela Desmarais is a dutiful daughter taking her elderly father to his appointments. They certainly look the part, but while Pamela Desmarais cares for 84-year-old prostate cancer patient Donald Segur, there is no familial bond between these two neighbors from East … Read more
Cancer affects thousands of men across the United States every year, with the most common diagnoses coming in the form of prostate, colon, testicular, lung, and skin cancer. Not all cancers can be detected early on, but for some forms of the disease, the spread of cancer can be prevented through screenings. As June marks … Read more
A group of influential theater owners known as the Variety Club of New England were touring Boston Children’s Hospital in 1947 when they happened upon a tiny basement laboratory. Here, Sidney Farber, MD, was conducting research that would lead to the first remissions in pediatric leukemia. The men were so impressed by Farber they decided to … Read more