On Point

Adam Stern at his home in Newton (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

CommonHealth

May 28, 2018

'Morbid Acceptance': Visualizing My Death As I Face The Next Cancer Scan

"Imaginings of my own death began to swirl in my mind. I wondered if it would still be summer at my funeral, or maybe fall. I thought about the specific photos and videos I wanted my little son to have to remember me by."

A woman receives a mammogram. (Wikimedia Commons)

Do High-Deductible Plans Make Even Cancer Care A Luxury Item?

CommonHealth

May 23, 2018

The disc of hydrogel that slowly releases an immune-boosting drug. (Photo courtesy Credit: Chun Gwon Park )

Immune-Boosting Gel Could Stem Spread Of Cancer After Surgery, Mouse Study Suggests

CommonHealth

Mar 23, 2018

Dr. Abdoul Aziz Kasse looks at a mammogram that shows signs of cancer in his office at the Clinique des Mamelles in Dakar, Senegal, on July 13, 2017. (Jane Hahn/AP)

Standard Age For Mammograms Puts Nonwhite Women At Risk, Study Finds

CommonHealth

Mar 7, 2018

When The Odds Of Surviving Cancer Are 50-50

CommonHealth

03:08Feb 23, 2018

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More From This Series

Young cancer survivors, from left to right: Cynthia Fernandez, Kelly and Christina (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

After Cancer At 18, I Learned 'Chemo Brain' Can Last Long Past Chemo

Cancer treatment has left its mark on my brain, even four years after starting treatment for lymphoma, writes Cynthia Fernandez.

CommonHealth

Jan 12, 2018

Maggie Loucks was 28 when she was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. She recently finished five years of hormone therapy; her cancer treatment was finally over. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

As More Survive Cancer, These Doctors Try To Ease The Aftermath Of Treatment

Million of Americans have survived cancer. Several local doctors are among a growing group trying to improve the quality of life for those survivors.

CommonHealth

06:02Jan 12, 2018

Kymriah, a recently approved CAR-T cell drug, has a price tag of $475,000. (Courtesy Novartis)

New Cancer Treatments Top $500,000 And Raise Daunting Questions About How To Pay

CAR-T cell therapy gives new urgency to a long-simmering question: Is there any ceiling on cancer drug prices?

CommonHealth

07:31Jan 11, 2018

Q&A With A Cannabis Clinician: What Cancer Patients Should Know

It can be hard for cancer patients to find guidance on using marijuana, so we asked Dr. Jordan Tishler, who runs two Boston-area cannabis clinics, for advice.

CommonHealth

Jan 10, 2018

Kate Murphy felt frustrated by what she sees as a lack of guidance from doctors on how to use medical marijuana to mitigate the impact of side effects related to her cancer treatment. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Cancer Patients Asking Doctors About Marijuana Still Get Little Help

Although medical marijuana has been legal in Massachusetts for six years, most doctors aren’t able to guide cancer patients navigating the system and using it for their symptoms.

CommonHealth

06:56Jan 10, 2018

Cassandra Xanthos was diagnosed her with ductal carcinoma in situ, often called breast cancer stage zero -- on a scale of 1-4. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Not All Cancer Kills: Researchers Study Active Surveillance For 'Stage Zero Breast Cancer'

Researchers are finding that, like prostate cancer patients, many breast and thyroid cancer patients are also better off being actively watched rather than aggressively treated.

CommonHealth

06:02Jan 9, 2018

A radiologist checks mammograms, an advanced imaging screening that promotes early detection of breast cancer, at The Elizabeth Center for Cancer Detection in Los Angeles, May. 6, 2010. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

Cancerphobia: Our Changing Emotional Relationship With 'The Big C'

Cancerphobia has been with us for a long time. David Ropeik, an author on the gaps between how risky things are and how much we fear them, says it's time...

CommonHealth

Jan 5, 2018

Martha Pfeiffer, seen here at her Stow home, qualified for a study that created a personal vaccine to treat her melanoma. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Promise Seen In Personal Vaccines Made Just To Treat Your Cancer

Researchers are developing a new weapon against cancer: a "personal vaccine" made just for you. It trains a patient's immune system to respond to a tumor's specific DNA.

CommonHealth

07:34Jan 5, 2018

A cluster of breast cancer cells showing visual evidence of programmed cell death, in purple. (Annie Cavanagh/Wellcome Images)

WBUR Invitation: Ask Leaders Your Big-Picture Questions On Cancer

To cap our year-long cancer series, This Moment In Cancer, we'll host a free event on Jan. 11 in which two cancer leaders answer your lingering questions.

CommonHealth

Jan 5, 2018

Neil Marshall, 71, navigated the complex choice among prostate cancer treatments with his family, including daughter Alicair Peltonen, who writes about the experience. (Alicair Peltonen for WBUR)

How One Family Tackled The 'Team Sport' Of Tough Prostate Cancer Choices

Cancer experts say the rise of "active surveillance" for some tumors is a major step forward, but one family's reaction is a reminder that for many, cancer is still the...

CommonHealth

05:56Dec 15, 2017

Judy Wilkins calls herself the poster child for a new type of cancertherapy called CAR-T. As she is having a laugh, Wilkins is putting hair rollers into Annina McCully's hair at her salon in Woburn. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

For Some, Cutting-Edge 'CAR-T' Treatment Unleashes 'Pac-Man' Cells Against Blood Cancer

This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the second therapy in this class, called Yescarta, to treat advanced B-cell lymphomas.

CommonHealth

03:39Oct 20, 2017

(Bizuayehu Tesfaye/AP Images for College of American Pathologists/See, Test and Treat)

With Cancer Diagnoses, Better-Off Americans May Get Too Much Attention

Death rates for four common cancers were nearly identical over 38 years in richer and poorer counties, even though the rate of cancer diagnosis was much higher among the more...

CommonHealth

05:24Jun 8, 2017

Doctors first found a tumor in Nick Claudio's brain when he was 9 years old. Surgery to remove it caused him to lose his eyesight. Now 16, Nick still has tumors in his brain, but more surgery could cost him his hearing. He's now on a drug regimen known as "low-dose chemo." It's a gentler, steadier drug regiment that aims not to cure cancer but to keep it at bay. Doctors think it could help with a central challenge they face: that many cancers evolve and become resistant to treatment. (Joe DiFazio for WBUR)

When Cancer Can't Be Cured, Low-Dose Chemo Aims To Keep It In Check

Some cancer specialists believe a gentler, steadier chemo regimen -- rather than the traditional aggressive course -- could help with a central challenge they face: that many cancers evolve and...

CommonHealth

06:41May 19, 2017

“We all try really hard to be visible and talk to the public,” Bhatia, right, says. (Courtesy)

Nano-Scale 'Dream Team': 3 MIT Professors Use Tiniest Of Tools Against Cancer

Three MIT professors are innovating at the tiniest possible scale, developing tools to see, target and kill cancer cells before they can cause any harm.

CommonHealth

06:38May 15, 2017

Dr. Laurie Glimcher at her office at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. (Alison Bruzek/WBUR)

Dana-Farber Chief: Federal Cuts Could Threaten ‘World’s Greatest Biomedicine Ecosystem’ In Boston

"The nearly half a billion dollars in Massachusetts NIH grants likely to vanish under the Trump budget are a serious concern for our innovation-based economy. At Dana-Farber alone, we could...

CommonHealth

Apr 7, 2017

In this 2016 photo, a Chinese doctor Peng Limei looks at a CT scan of a lung cancer patient. (Andy Wong/AP)

A Friend Dies As Scientists Ponder: Just How Preventable Are Most Cancers?

"People want a reason why these cancers happen," Dr. Bert Vogelstein says. "Well, here’s the reason: Cells make mistakes. That’s just bad luck."

CommonHealth

Mar 24, 2017

'Reclaiming Their Beauty': Tattoo Artist Inks Exquisite Flowers Over Mastectomy Scars

Not many tattoo artists make it into a leading medical journal -- but Chicago artist David Allen just did: the journal JAMA invited him to write on “the healing role...

CommonHealth

Mar 3, 2017

Not Just Nausea And Vomiting: Cancer Docs Now Worry About 'Financial Toxicity'

A new study reveals that nearly one in three non-elderly cancer patients are not taking their prescribed drug regimens because they can’t afford it.

CommonHealth

Feb 24, 2017

You know about smoking, but did you know about the role that obesity and sleep play in cancer? There's no such thing as perfect prevention, but experts believe preventable factors play a role in over half of cancers. (Gerald Herbert/AP File)

The Latest Thinking On How To Prevent Cancer, From Smoking And Diet To Sleep

You know about smoking, but did you know about the roles that obesity and sleep play in cancer? There's no such thing as perfect prevention, but experts believe preventable factors...

CommonHealth

07:31Feb 3, 2017

Cancer patient Terry Meyer reads a book while receiving chemotherapy treatment on June 21, 2006 in San Francisco. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

How Far Have We Come With Cancer Research And Treatment?

We'll take your calls and questions about the state of cancer research and treatment.

Radio Boston

15:29Feb 3, 2017

10 Questions To Ask When Searching For The Best Prostate Cancer Care

Experts are beginning to agree about what matters for prostate cancer patients. These measures may help you assess the quality of a urologist or oncologist as you seek the best...

CommonHealth

Feb 3, 2017

The 'Nantucket Effect'? Latest Cancer Stats Find Island's Death Rate Has Plummeted

The island of Nantucket off the Massachusetts coast seems to be doing something right: Its cancer death rate has dropped by 42 percent over the last roughly 25 years, while...

CommonHealth

05:20Feb 3, 2017

In this Aug. 4, 2015 file photo, a nurse places a patient's chemotherapy medication on an intravenous stand at a hospital in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Oncology Nurses Face New Stresses, Increasingly Critical Role

The job of the nurse in cancer care is now even more demanding -- and in the next few years, that pressure could be compounded by a shortage of oncologists.

CommonHealth

09:06Feb 2, 2017

A room for cancer treatment (Phillip Jeffrey/Flickr)

The Impact Of Financial Instability On Cancer

A growing body of research suggests that a family's financial instability can impact cancer outcomes, including recurrence and survival. We look at why that is.

Radio Boston

13:30Feb 2, 2017

IBM Watson Health on Binney Street in Cambridge. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

IBM Uses Supercomputer Watson Technology To Track — And Fight — Cancer

The company recently started a five-year, $50 million partnership with the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT to study drug-resistant cancers.

CommonHealth

04:39Feb 1, 2017

David Kimball holds one of his grandchildren. (Courtesy of the author)

Being A Cancer Patient As Medicine Makes Strides, But Sometimes Not Large Enough

The new excitement Boston cancer researchers have that cutting edge therapies and technologies could transform the way we treat the disease. We hear what this moment means to a patient.

Radio Boston

15:46Feb 1, 2017

Venture Capital Firm Partner: 'There's No Better Time To Do Drug Discovery' For Cancer Treatments

Though drug discovery is "inherently risky," Dr. Bob Tepper says there have been many recent breakthroughs related to new cancer drugs.

CommonHealth

05:06Feb 1, 2017

Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, Oct. 19, 2016, about the White House's cancer "moonshot" initiative — a push to throw everything at finding a cure within five years. (Elise Amendola/AP)

Where Is Boston's Groundbreaking Cancer Research Headed?

As part of WBUR's special series "This Moment In Cancer," we hear about where Boston's groundbreaking cancer research is headed.

Radio Boston

14:04Jan 31, 2017

A screenshot of a recent TV ad for the immunotherapy drug Opdivo (YouTube)

Concerns That Rosy Direct-To-Consumer Ads Hype Cancer Drugs To Vulnerable Patients

An oncologist worries that rosy ads for new cancer drugs could raise the hopes of very vulnerable patients unrealistically.

CommonHealth

Jan 31, 2017

In this Friday, May 27, 2016 photo, Dr. Ronald C. Chen consults with colleague Misty Lehman-Davis on a cancer patient's scans at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Allen G. Breed/AP)

What Questions Do You Have About Cancer Research, Treatment Or Care?

As part of our This Moment In Cancer series, we're looking the dramatic advances in cancer care as well as continued challenges. What questions do you have about cancer that...

CommonHealth

Jan 30, 2017

Dr. Vicki Jackson, left, the chief of palliative care at MGH, speaks with Lisa Geller. Immunotherapy helped rid Geller of her cancer. But because the long-term prognosis with these new medications is still not clear, even after going into remission patients can be on an emotional roller coaster. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

From The 'Lowest Of Lows' To The 'Highest Of Highs': Navigating A New Reality After A Cancer Turnaround

Some new cancer treatments can have miraculous results for some patients. But because the long-term prognosis with these new medications is still not clear, even after going into remission patients...

CommonHealth

06:42Jan 30, 2017

As Cancer Drugs' Prices Skyrocket, Experts Worry About Burden On Patients, Health Systems

New cancer drugs are being approved at a fast pace -- and new research shows that these drugs now carry price tags between $120,000 to $170,000, reporter Richard Knox explains.

CommonHealth

04:59Jan 30, 2017

Viktor Adalsteinsson, leader of the Blood Biopsy Group at the Broad Institute, holds a tube used to track a sample of blood sent in for analysis of the billions of tumor and normal DNA fragments it likely contains. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Fantasy No Longer: Blood Biopsies Detect Tumor DNA, Could Catch Cancer Earlier

"It seems so far-fetched," one researcher says, "that out of a small tube of blood you could have a lens into a tumor somewhere else in the body." But it's...

CommonHealth

08:39Jan 30, 2017

Ron Dombrowski is examined by nurse practitioner Pamela Park at the Wiener Center for Preoperative Evaluation at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

What If We Really Knew Where To Get The Best Cancer Care: The Prostate As Case Study

While scientists press for breakthroughs in cancer treatments, patients still have no idea which doctors or hospitals deliver the best care.

CommonHealth

08:31Jan 30, 2017

After Richard Murphy's melanoma came back, he received two different checkpoint blockade drugs -- a form of immunotherapy -- that eventually put him into remission. While advances in immunotherapy are improving cancer treatment, Murphy remains an exception -- one of the luckiest of those unfortunate enough to get a particularly lethal form of cancer. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

How Researchers Are Putting The Body's Own Army To Work To Fight Cancer

Researchers are increasingly pinning their hopes on a new treatment strategy: using the immune system to hunt down and kill cancer cells wherever they are in the body.

CommonHealth

08:01Jan 30, 2017

‘It’s Not An Even Playing Field’: How Financial Instability Takes A Toll On Cancer Patients

In a time of dramatic advances in cancer research and treatment, financial instability can still undermine results.

CommonHealth

08:16Jan 30, 2017

Sheila Mulcahy participates weekly in a support group for cancer patients in Falmouth called Haven For Healing. Eleven years ago Mulcahy was diagnosed with cancer. Doctors thought she'd die years ago. But not only is she alive, Mulcahy says she enjoys a "rich and colorful" life. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

From The War On Cancer To The Moonshot: 'What's Different Now Is Everything'

Although there’s no “cure” around the corner, the prospects for tomorrow’s cancer patients are looking significantly brighter.

CommonHealth

07:11Jan 30, 2017

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