all cancer stories

Researchers ‘NOTCH’ a victory in war on cancer

404132862 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:09:01 -0500

Adult survivors of childhood cancer have an increased risk of suicidal thoughts, even decades after their cancer treatments have ended, according to a study led by Harvard researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).

Researchers exploit genetic ‘co-dependence’ to kill treatment-resistant tumor cells

404132862 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:53 -0400

Cancer cells fueled by the mutant KRAS oncogene, which makes them notoriously difficult to treat, can be killed by blocking a more vulnerable genetic partner of KRAS, report scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT.

New metabolic safeguards against tumor cells revealed

705287540 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:57:10 -0400

Regular use of aspirin after colorectal cancer diagnosis may reduce the risk of cancer death, report Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In today's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study’s authors also find that the aspirin-associated survival advantage was seen primarily in patients with tumors expressing the COX

An unusual collection : A brain tumor tissue bank

404132862 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:22:27 -0400

Five years ago, as she was walking into Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center in Methuen, Mass., Patricia Fay saw a priest she knew and cornered him. “I’m like ‘Oh, Father Peter! And I sort of grabbed him by his arm,” she recounts.“I said, ‘What are you doing here? Father Peter! I could use a prayer right now. He asked me what was going on and I told him, “They found a brain tumor and I’m about to get set up for radiation. It’s cancer.”

“Father Peter put his hand on the top of my head, closed his eyes, and started saying a prayer,” Fay continues. But all she could think was, “Oh no! He’s blessing the wrong side!”

First molecular steps to childhood leukemia identified

404132862 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:52:21 -0400

A Harvard research based at Massachusetts General Hospital has identified how a chromosomal abnormality known to be associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) – the most common cancer in children – initiates the disease process. In the July issue of Cell Stem Cell, they describe how expression of this mutation in hematopoie

Study pinpoints novel cancer gene and biomarker

50443248 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:25:01 -0400

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists’ discovery of a cancer-causing gene – the first in its family to be linked to cancer – demonstrates how the panoramic view of genomics and the close-up perspective of molecular biology are needed to determine which genes are involved in cancer and which are mere bystanders. The findings are reported in the June 25 issue of the journal Nature.

AML patients benefit from stem cell transplants

50443248 — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:04:20 -0400

A stem cell transplant (SCT) from a compatible donor early in the course of disease is the best approach for the majority of young and middle-aged adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a new analysis of two dozen clinical studies.

DFCI cancer research highlights age-related treatment effectiveness, patient cost concerns

705287540 — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:39:31 -0400

Although a test for gene mutations known to significantly increase the risk of hereditary breast or ovarian cancer has been available for more than a decade, a new study finds that few women with family histories of these cancers are even discussing genetic testing with their physicians or other health-care providers.

Broad scientists to sequence multiple myeloma samples

50443248 — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:16:57 -0400

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced today a collaboration with the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT to systematically uncover the molecular changes underlying multiple myeloma by whole-genome sequencing of individual patient tumors. The MMRF will provide both patient samples for analysis as well as funding for the project.

Cancer chemotherapy: An unfolding story

50443248 — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:10:11 -0400

To launch his lecture on cancer chemotherapy, Luke Whitesell ’79, RI ’06 displayed an image of an origami crab: a double visual metaphor. The crab is the traditional symbol of cancer. And Whitesell, a senior research scientist at the Whitehead Institute, has focused on how the artful folding of proteins in cells may offer clues to more effective, less toxic treatments. His November 17 talk — part of the Radcliffe Institute’s Lectures in the Sciences series — richly conveyed what he called “the most interesting subject in the world: the drug treatment of cancer.”