Archive for cancer
‘Life is so much better now’: Ethan finds treatment for mixed germ cell brain tumor
Ethan Winchenbach was playing with his dogs when he first noticed that something was off. “My vision changed, but only when I looked down,” he remembers. “It was really disorienting.” His mother, Becky, who is a nurse, knew immediately that something wasn’t right. When the symptoms didn’t improve, she made him an appointment with his ... Read More about ‘Life is so much better now’: Ethan finds treatment for mixed germ cell brain tumor
Tagged: brain health, brain tumor, cancer, stem cell transplant
Tackling an aggressive, treatment-resistant lymphoma where it lives
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is the most common aggressive lymphoma in children. Chemotherapy and radiation fail to cure about 30 percent of cases. When tumors are driven by the oncogene ALK — which is the case for the majority of children — kinase inhibitor drugs like crizotinib are very effective ... Read More about Tackling an aggressive, treatment-resistant lymphoma where it lives
Tagged: cancer, cellular and molecular medicine, lymphoma
One-time treatment could block a deadly form of graft-versus-host disease
Even when a bone marrow transplant cures leukemia or lymphoma, patients can still pass away from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), in which T cells in the donor graft attack the recipient’s own tissues. Leslie Kean, MD, PhD, director of stem cell transplant at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, has long sought to prevent this ... Read More about One-time treatment could block a deadly form of graft-versus-host disease
No backing down: Sophia takes on a rare form of liver cancer
Sophia LaBorde is headstrong and “doesn’t back down,” says her mother, Alicia. So last year when Sophia had some gastrointestinal discomfort and a low appetite, she asked her parents to bring her to her local pediatrician. And when test after test ruled out more common culprits — lactose intolerance, heartburn, even thyroid disease — she ... Read More about No backing down: Sophia takes on a rare form of liver cancer
Tagged: cancer, liver disease, surgery
A new cancer mechanism: Failed cellular housekeeping
Cancer can stem from mutations in many different genes. New research from Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute pinpoints a gene that, when mutated, causes cancer through a mechanism not before seen: Inability of cells to dispose of their trash, namely defective strands of RNA. This mechanism appears to cut across many different malignancies, ... Read More about A new cancer mechanism: Failed cellular housekeeping
An unexpected journey reveals a potent way to attack tumors
Research on the effects of prenatal exposure to the Zika virus has yielded an unexpected dividend: a potentially promising way to trigger natural killer (NK) cells to fight cancer. NK cells are first-responder immune cells. When enough of their activating receptors are triggered, they mobilize to kill infected, stressed, or cancerous cells at an early ... Read More about An unexpected journey reveals a potent way to attack tumors
Going out of the box to tackle pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancers are deadly and hard to treat, in part because they are so often detected at an advanced stage; overall five-year survival rates are about 11 percent. Two separate labs at Boston Children’s Hospital took out-of-the-box approaches to this difficult cancer, and both uncovered some very promising leads. Wiping out pancreatic tumors’ immune defense ... Read More about Going out of the box to tackle pancreatic cancer
I’ve been there, too: What my baby’s tumor taught me as a NICU nurse
I had a toddler at home when I found out I was pregnant with my twins, Hannah and Sophie. Since I had already had a baby, I thought I knew what to expect during my pregnancy. I also work in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Boston Children’s Hospital, so I thought I was ... Read More about I’ve been there, too: What my baby’s tumor taught me as a NICU nurse
Tagged: blood disorder, cancer, nicu, nursing, vascular anomalies
Personalized care for optic nerve gliomas helps Addison feel like ‘the star of the show’
Addison Gould loves visiting with her friend Tom. Every time her family makes the drive to Boston from their home on Cape Cod, the 5-year-old can’t wait to see him. “She runs across the bridge from the parking garage to clinic,” laughs her mother, Jillian. “I’ve never seen a kid so excited to go to ... Read More about Personalized care for optic nerve gliomas helps Addison feel like ‘the star of the show’
Tagged: brain tumor, cancer
Walter’s world: ‘Warrior’ toddler doesn’t let a brain tumor stop him
When Walter Merck attempts an obstacle course at his physical therapy appointment, “he just does what he wants,” laughs his mother, Amber. “It’s Walter’s world; we just live in it.” Like many 2-year-olds, Walter can be stubborn — but in his case, it may be a stubbornness born of necessity. Since infancy, he’s been overcoming ... Read More about Walter’s world: ‘Warrior’ toddler doesn’t let a brain tumor stop him
Tagged: brain tumor, cancer, chemotherapy, surgery