Archive for leukemia
Surviving stem cell transplant: New hope when the donor isn’t a full match
To see Tara Daniels today, with a corporate job in marketing and about to close on a house, you’d never know what she’s been through, how thrilled she is to be alive. This month marks five years since she received a high-risk bone marrow transplant for a life-threatening blood cancer. Tara woke up feeling sick ... Read More about Surviving stem cell transplant: New hope when the donor isn’t a full match
Preventing leukemia by preventing rogue blood cells from taking over
As we age, many of us acquire mutations that cause some of our blood stem cells to multiply faster than others, forming their own distinct populations or “clones.” This is known as clonal hematopoiesis. In some cases, a single clone originating from a single genetically altered or mutated stem cell can expand to comprise up ... Read More about Preventing leukemia by preventing rogue blood cells from taking over
Finding new targets for acute myeloid leukemia in children
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the second most common leukemia diagnosed in children. It is hard to treat and can be fatal in some cases. While there have been some recent successes with genetically targeted therapies for adults, AML has different genetic features in children, and care has been slow to advance. “The state of ... Read More about Finding new targets for acute myeloid leukemia in children
Nurses Week 2021: Integrating new therapies into nursing practice and patient care delivery
A revolution in pharmacological gene therapy is underway, as indicated by a significant acceleration in the creation of new therapies to treat genetic disorders at the molecular level. Boston Children’s Hospital Nursing and extended team members, in collaboration with hospital researchers and scientists, biotech, and biopharma partners, have developed a set of specific processes to ... Read More about Nurses Week 2021: Integrating new therapies into nursing practice and patient care delivery
Can we prevent leukemia in patients with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome?
Anna Nazarenko doesn’t see herself as sick. The strong-willed, spunky 6-year-old loves to dance and ski, and spent much of April Fool’s day pranking her parents. Aside from the enzymes she takes to help digest her food, you wouldn’t know that she has Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS). The rare, inherited type of bone marrow failure has ... Read More about Can we prevent leukemia in patients with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome?
Arthritis drug reduces rates of acute graft-vs-host disease after bone marrow transplant
The immune-suppressing drug abatacept, currently used for rheumatoid arthritis, could make bone marrow transplant safer, report researchers at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. The phase 2 randomized, multi-center clinical trial, the largest to date, appears in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Abatacept (brand name ORENCIA) reduced rates of severe, acute graft-versus-host disease ... Read More about Arthritis drug reduces rates of acute graft-vs-host disease after bone marrow transplant
Cancer won’t stop me, and neither will COVID-19
Most people my age look at COVID-19 as a burden on their everyday lives of seeing friends, hanging out, and going to college. I see it differently. As an active cancer patient being treated for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), I am immunocompromised. This puts me at especially high risk for contracting COVID-19, and my ... Read More about Cancer won’t stop me, and neither will COVID-19
Could leukemia be stopped before it starts?
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a blood cancer affecting both adults and children, requires more than one genetic “hit” to develop. As we age, many of us acquire a mutation that enables certain of our blood cells to multiply faster than others, forming their own distinct population. This first hit, known as “clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate ... Read More about Could leukemia be stopped before it starts?
Bone marrow-on-a-chip provides new research directions for Shwachman-Diamond syndrome
A new research tool that mimics the behavior of diseased bone marrow provides a new strategy for understanding the bone marrow disease, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS), and hopefully, developing new treatments. With SDS, bone marrow fails to produce blood cells normally, leading to bone marrow failure and an increased risk of leukemia. In a research paper ... Read More about Bone marrow-on-a-chip provides new research directions for Shwachman-Diamond syndrome
Targeted small-molecule agent shows early promise against a dangerous infant leukemia
Leukemias involving reshuffling or rearrangement of the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene, known as MLL-rearranged or MLL-r leukemias, account for 70 to 80 percent of acute leukemias in infants under one year old. In these blood cancers, a subset of acute myeloid and acute lymphoid leukemias (AML and ALL), the MLL gene breaks and reattaches ... Read More about Targeted small-molecule agent shows early promise against a dangerous infant leukemia