Cancer & Community

Most people in the United States know someone affected by cancer. For some, it is a constant anxiety as eventually, more likely than not, someone they know will be diagnosed. But there is hope for all as medical and scientific advances are sharpening our understanding of how cancer works and suggesting new ways we can beat it. And the way doctors and clinicians treat cancer is always changing, as scientists learn more about the nature and development of the disease. This spring a group of first-year student … (read more)

When it comes to treating cancer, we have all heard the terms “chemotherapy” and “radiation therapy” at some point — discussing a close friend’s or family member’s cancer diagnosis, watching a soapy medical TV drama, reading an article about cancer treatm … (read more)

A New England man told us that one day his wife noticed yellow markings on his face; emergency room doctors identified it as jaundice. The man was immediately admitted to the hospital where he was given a CT scan due to increased risk for patients his age … (read more)

“Men and women, but men in particular, are squeamish even thinking about damage to sexual function. … that plays a huge role in the fact that so few people understand anything about it until it starts to impact their life.” We got this message from an A … (read more)

In December of 1971, Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, which dedicated $1.5 billion over the ensuing several years to cancer research. It was a pivotal moment of the “War on Cancer,” a movement that emerged in the 1960s that brought a new sens … (read more)

Advances in medicine enable many people to beat cancer or, at the very least, slow it down. However, beating the disease once doesn’t necessarily mean the end of that journey for some cancer patients. Recurrence is a common part of experiencing cancer — s … (read more)

Students in Prof. Lindsay Repka’s Spring 2022 Biochem First Year Seminar at Middlebury College took an in-depth look at the science of cancer and its affects on the community. The created this package of stories and graphics. The work won an award from th … (read more)