Nicole Brudos Ferrara

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 1st May 2025

Clinical trials: A significant part of cancer care - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

Clinical trials are a significant part of cancer care at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Cancer care teams work together across specialties to make sure the right clinical trials are available to serve the needs of people with cancer who come to Mayo Clinic.


"We are very particular in how we select the clinical trials that we have available for patients," says Dr. Boughey. "We want to have the best trials available for our patients. Some of the clinical trials are evaluating drugs —...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 18th March 2025

Multiple myeloma: Its evolution, treatment and the quest to catch it early - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

Editor's note: March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month.


By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Multiple myeloma is a cancer of a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell in the bone marrow. When multiple myeloma develops in the bone marrow, cancerous plasma cells multiply, crowding out healthy cells.


"Over time, people develop abnormalities or mutations in their plasma cells. Those mutations cause plasma cells to become cancerous," says Joselle Cook, M.B.B.S., a Mayo Clinic hematologist specia...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 11th March 2025

You're at risk of colorectal cancer. Know the symptoms. Get screened. - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

Editor's note: March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.


By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Colorectal cancer is no longer a disease of older people. People in their 50s, 40s and younger are increasingly being diagnosed with cancers of the colon and rectum. Incidence rates increased by about 2% per year in people younger than 50 during the past decade, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2019, 20% of colorectal cancers were in people ages 54 years or younger, up from 11% in 1995.


Anoth...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 26th February 2025

What is cancer immunotherapy? - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

Cancer immunotherapy drugs don't directly target cancer cells. Instead, they enhance the body's immune cells, improving their ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells.


"Immunotherapy helps the immune system see where the tumor is in the body. The immune system can see a single cancer cell. That's powerful," says Dr. Dong.


"It's almost like cancer therapy by proxy," says Dr. Markovic, the Charles F. Mathy Professor of Melanoma Research. "We're engaging the body to do its job in ways th...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 29th January 2025

5 facts to help you prevent HPV-related cancer - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


There are more than 100 varieties of the human papillomavirus, commonly called HPV. Transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, several HPV strains cause warts — growths on the skin or mucous membrane. However, some strains of HPV can cause cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, penis, and parts of the head and neck.


About 13 million people are infected with HPV each year. "By age 50 in the U.S., the typical person has been infected at least once by one of these...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 7th January 2025

Your toolkit for reducing cervical cancer risk - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In the U.S., cervical cancer is no longer a common cause of cancer death because of the use of a screening test called a Pap smear, which detects changes in cervical cells.


While the overall rate of cervical cancer in the U.S. is declining, the number of people diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer is increasing, and rates among Black women are...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 12th November 2024

Pancreatic cancer: Risk, treatment and clinical trials - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Pancreatic cancer has a reputation for being challenging to treat. "It's a serious and life-threatening cancer, no matter what stage it's caught in — even if it's caught early," says Robert McWilliams, M.D., a Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center medical oncologist specializing in pancreatic cancer.


Pancreatic cancer is aggressive, and the pancreas is deep inside the body, where tumors can form and grow unnoticed. There is no screening test for people of average...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 17th September 2024

Treating advanced prostate cancer - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Advanced prostate cancer is cancer that has spread beyond the prostate to distant parts of the body. It is also called metastatic or stage 4 prostate cancer. While most advanced prostate cancer is incurable, treatments can slow or shrink the cancer, reduce symptoms and extend a person's life.


Recent advancements in diagnostic techniques and new treatments have improved the survival rate for advanced prostate cancer. "A variety of treatments, including hormonal trea...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 5th September 2024

3 facts about acute lymphocytic leukemia in children - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


The most common type of childhood cancer is acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), a blood and bone marrow cancer that creates immature white blood cells that can’t perform their typical functions. Because of this, the disease worsens quickly.


Most likely to occur in early childhood, ALL is more common in boys than girls, according to the American Cancer Society. Children younger than five are at highest risk for developing ALL.


Asmaa Ferdjallah, M.D., a Mayo Clinic...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 1st August 2024

Supporting your child's development after a cancer diagnosis - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Jessica Saenz


The first few years of your child's life are a time of major growth and development in which the foundation for social, emotional and learning skills is laid. A cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment can disrupt the safe environment and routines that foster childhood development. This can cause distress, affect behavior, and temporarily delay or revert milestone progress.


Emily McTate, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic pediatric psychologist who specializes in oncology, explains how pro...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 27th June 2024

Mayo Clinic launches Rainbows, an LGBTQ-focused breast cancer clinic - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Today in the U.S., 7.2 % of adults identify as LGBTQ+ — that's more than 24 million people who often face stigma and discrimination that can make navigating the healthcare system difficult.


Elizabeth Cathcart-Rake, M.D., a Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer, wants to change that. She's launched the Rainbows Breast Cancer Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to support the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 26th June 2024

Caring for your psychological needs as an adolescent or young adult cancer survivor - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Jessica Saenz


The burden of cancer is different for everyone, and life stages can play a role in how it affects people. For adolescents and young adults (AYAs) ages 15 to 39, cancer is a disruptor during a time when people are experiencing personal growth, taking on new responsibilities and becoming independent. This can take a toll on mental health, and the emotional and psychological distress of surviving cancer during these formative years can have long-term effects.


Kristine Donovan...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 29th May 2024

Advances in medulloblastoma treatment for children - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Though rare, medulloblastoma is the most common cancerous brain tumor in children. These tumors begin in the lower back part of the brain called the cerebellum, which is important for balance, coordination and movement. Medulloblastomas are embryonal tumors that grow from embryonal cells left over from fetal development.


"Of all the tumors we see in pediatrics, 20% are medulloblastoma," says Jonathan Schwartz, D.O., a Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center pediatr...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 1st May 2024

Ovarian cancer: New treatments and research - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Three cancers — ovarian epithelial cancer, fallopian tube cancer and primary peritoneal cancer — are commonly called ovarian cancer. They arise from the same kind of tissue and are treated similarly.


"The ovaries and fallopian tubes are so anatomically close to each other that we sometimes can't tell if the cancer is coming from the ovary or the fallopian tube," says S. John Weroha, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic oncologist and chair of Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 18th April 2024

AI may help predict risk of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

Risk factors for Barrett's esophagus include:


Esophageal cancer specialists recommend screening for Barrett's esophagus in people who have multiple risk factors. Screening involves a procedure called an endoscopy. During an endoscopy, a healthcare professional passes a lighted tube with a camera at the end (endoscope) down your throat to check for signs of changing esophagus tissue.


Despite these recommendations, screening rates for Barrett's esophagus are low. Prasad Iyer, M.D., a Mayo Cl...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 26th March 2024

Treating kidney cancer without surgery - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Kidney cancer treatment often begins with surgery to remove the cancer, with the goal of preserving normal kidney function when possible. For people with smaller tumors diagnosed at stage 1 or 2, when they are still confined to the kidney, surgery is the most common treatment.


Surgery to remove all or part of a kidney is called a nephrectomy. While such procedures are often safe, all surgery comes with risks. If you have other medical issues that place you at high...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 20th February 2024

Excess body weight, alcohol and tobacco: How lifestyle can affect your cancer risk - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


In 2023, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) reported that 40% of all cancers in the U.S. are associated with modifiable risk factors, including excess body weight, alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking. Globally, nearly half of all cancer deaths in 2019 were related to those same risk factors.


Jon Ebbert, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic internist who specializes in smoking cessation and researches disease prevention and early cancer detection. Here, he di...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 14th February 2024

Mayo Clinic Caregiver Support Program: Putting the needs of the caregiver first - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


In 2023, Toni Acosta relocated to Phoenix to become a caregiver while her mother received cancer treatment at Mayo Clinic, including a bone marrow transplant. It was a trying time for Acosta, whose home is 90 miles away.


"I had to stay away from my family for months, and my mom didn't want much company. There were times when I had nobody to talk to. There were times when I wanted to pack my bags and leave. It was hard and scary," says Acosta.


To help family care...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 10th January 2024

Research fuels advances in bile duct cancer care - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Mayo Clinic staff


Bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma, forms in the thin tubes that carry bile from your liver to your gallbladder and small intestine. Though relatively rare, cholangiocarcinoma is often diagnosed in later stages, making it more difficult to treat, and cases in the U.S. are increasing.


In a review article published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology in 2023, lead author Sumera I. Ilyas, M.B.B.S., and co-authors share advances in diagnosing, staging and t...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 3rd January 2024

Understanding triple-negative breast cancer and its treatment - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


There are several breast cancer subtypes. The growth of hormone-dependent breast cancer, the most common subtype, is driven by female hormones. Another common subtype, HER2-positive breast cancer, has excessive copies of a gene called HER2 that makes its cells grow more than they should.


Triple-negative breast cancer, also called basal-like breast cancer, is a subtype that isn't affected by hormones or the HER2 gene. It grows rapidly, is more likely to spread beyon...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 13th December 2023

To reduce your liver cancer risk, prevent liver disease - and cirrhosis - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Most people who have cancer in the liver have cancer that has spread (metastasized) from another location, such as the colon, stomach or breast. This is different from the most common type of primary liver cancer, called hepatocellular carcinoma, which starts in liver cells called hepatocytes. More than 41,000 new cases of hepatocellular carcinoma will be diagnosed in 2023.


Hepatocellular carcinoma occurs most often in people with underlying liver disease. "Having...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 31st October 2023

Metastatic breast cancer: When cancer spreads beyond the breast - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Breast cancer stages range from 0 to 4, with 0 indicating cancer that is noninvasive or contained within the milk ducts. "Metastatic breast cancer is what we define as stage 4 disease," says Lida Mina, M.D., a Mayo Clinic medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer. "It is breast cancer that has traveled outside the breast and the lymph nodes and attacked other distant organs."


Female breast cancers are diagnosed at stage 4 in less than 10% of cases, but up to...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 4th October 2023

Life after ovarian cancer: Coping with side effects, fear of recurrence, and finding support - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Nicole Brudos Ferrara


Diagnoses and death rates for ovarian cancer have decreased in recent years, and the number of people living with and beyond the disease is increasing.


Returning to the life you lived before ovarian cancer can be challenging. Treatment comes with short- and long-term side effects — some of which may be permanent. You also may find yourself worrying about ovarian cancer’s high recurrence rate.


Megan Grudem, a Mayo Clinic nurse practitioner, has been treating peop...

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog • 28th September 2023

Onco-psychology: Helping people manage cancer-related distress - Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog

By Mayo Clinic staff


Clinical psychology develops treatments to help people with mental illness manage distress. Onco-psychology uses similar distress-management principles to improve health outcomes for people coping with stress related to cancer and its treatments.


"The focus of onco-psychology is to reduce suffering and help people focus on enjoyment and quality of life, even though they're undergoing cancer treatment," says Shawna Ehlers, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic clinical health psychologi...