- Epigenetics was the subject of a particularly interesting session, held on April 1st, at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Chicago. James Bradner, MD, described how his group has shown that a substance known as JQ1, which inhibits an epigenetic regulator called BRD4, blocks the activity of a gene by the name of Myc.
Tags: Genomics
- Breast cancer surgeons have been having an ongoing discussion on how much tissue to breast tissue to remove when removing a tumor. Dr. Mehra Golshan said that with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a very treatable, early stage cancer, smaller margins are acceptable and appropriate.
Tags: BreastCancer, Surgery
- Dr. Andrea Richardson and colleagues have identified a genetic marker that may predict which aggressive "triple negative" breast cancers and certain ovarian cancers will likely respond to platinum-based chemotherapies.
Tags: BreastCancer, Genomics, OvarianCancer
- Dr. Charles Fuchs explains how aspirin can play a significant role in the fight against cancer.
Tags: Prevention
- Dr. James Butrynski says for the majority of patients being treated with Doxil, changing treatment is a challenge because there's a risk that another medication won't be as successful. Sylvia Bartel, RPh, said that Dana-Farber has dedicated a full-time member of the pharmacy staff to monitor drug supplies, something she says they have never had to worry about until recently.
Tags: chemotherapy, PatientSupport
- Sylvia Bartel, RPh, says the current drug shortages, especially for drugs that have been around for some years, is likely tied to the economics around generic drugs.
Tags: chemotherapy, PatientSupport
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's new guidelines recommend that women ages 21 to 65 undergo pap smear screening for cervical cancer every three years, Dr. Ursula Matulonis says cervical cancer is often slow growing and that it's highly unlikely to see changes from year to year if a woman has a normal (negative) pap smear.
Tags: CervicalCancer
- Adolescents and young adults account for more than 77,000 new cancers every year. Dana-Farber has a program specifically designed to address the needs of cancer patients ages 19-39. Karen Fasciano, PsyD, says it is important to be aware of issues, such as fertility and emotional needs, that are unique to young adult patients.
Tags: ChildhoodCancer
- Seven year old Ethan Bairos is not just some little boy - he's on the Brown University Men's Hockey Team. Ethan, a Dana-Farber patient, was drafted by the Brown Bears last October as part of Team Impact, a new Massachusetts non-profit that pairs kids with life-threatening illnesses with college sports teams.
- The Bridge Project, a joint Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and MIT research program, is awarding $2.6 million in funding to support four research teams studying pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma. Dr. Matthew Meyerson and Dr. Keith Ligon will be among the Dana-Farber scientists whose work is funded by the program.
Tags: Grants, PancreaticCancer