I’m lucky. Because although I’ve worn the all-too-familiar MD Anderson patient wristband off and on since July 2015, I’ve never actually had...

MD Anderson’s Moon Shots Program™ was launched five years ago to increase the speed at which our scientists and physicians turn their research...

Before my cancer diagnosis, I used to think that death steals life from us. Now I realize that it’s the other way around; death is the constant...

My husband and I have always taught our children to find the good in everything, even if they can’t see it at that moment.

But I was...

Between all of the decorating, baking, cooking, parties, shopping and events, the holiday season can be stressful. And, adding cancer treatment...

For 78-year-old widower Do Lee, the hardest part of having stomach cancer wasn’t chemotherapy, radiation or even learning to eat again after...

The couch was Janice Simon’s refuge. Overwhelmed and exhausted, the comforting cushions and a healthy dose of HGTV temporarily kept the personal...

In September 2014, when she was just eight years old, our daughter Elise was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. It was in...

As a child growing up in the 1950s, Dean Potter spent a great deal of time outdoors working on his family’s Rhode Island farm, playing at...

Everyone on my father’s side of the family has died of cancer — my dad of prostate cancer, my grandpa of lung cancer, and my grandma of kidney...

In May 2016, Victor Barreiro learned his melanoma, originally treated in his hometown of Mexico City in 2014, had returned and spread throughout...

Many of our head and neck cancer patients know Randal Weber, M.D., as their surgeon. But Weber recently took on a new role as MD Anderson’...

While its name was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s ambitious goal to put a man on the moon, the Moon Shots Program...

After I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in April 2015, I was treated at MD Anderson by Dr. Robert Orlowski with chemotherapy and a stem...

Five years after they got married, high school sweethearts Aly and Josh Taylor felt ready to grow their family. Aly had read that sore breasts...

When you have a rare cancer that only affects one in a million people, it can be difficult to find the answers and information you need. That...

When I was told I needed a stem cell transplant in the summer of 2015 to treat my myelofibrosis — a rare type of bone cancer — I thought it...

Ethan Tepera was only 13 years old when he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in October 2011. He’d been pale and feeling nauseated...

Certain types of chemotherapy and radiation therapy can weaken the immune system, putting cancer patients at increased risk for life-threatening...

When 5-year old Kloe Ponce started having severe headaches and experiencing sensitivity to bright lights and sounds, her family never suspected...

When you hear the word cancer, you begin to contemplate the finality of life and ask yourself a hundred questions: Will I survive? If treatment...

Last June, I found out I had breast cancer. For me, the worst thing about getting that diagnosis was having to break the news to my 9-year-old...

Like many types of cancer treatment, radiation therapy can cause side effects and have a profound impact on patients. Many of my patients...

Rebecca Stedman believes that every experience had in life serves a purpose, and cancer is no exception.

“Just as I felt like I was...

It’s been six years since I was first told that I had no evidence of acute myeloid leukemia. But thoughts about recurrence still pop into...

Music has always been a part of James McManus’ life. The middle son in a family of musicians, he was the lead singer of a rock ‘n roll band...

Cancer treatment often requires patients to make changes to their daily routines or lifestyle habits. But just how much do you need to change...

Bratton Fennell, 53, is one of the top-ranked distance runners for his age group in the Carolinas. During his brain tumor treatment, it turned...

While many of our employees, patients and the Gulf Coast region continue to recover from Hurricane Harvey, one thing remains unchanged: MD...

My late husband, Rocky, died of melanoma in 2008. He fought it three different times over the course of our 18-year marriage. He endured so...

Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with cancer or told your disease is terminal, there’s always a place for hope. I truly believe I wouldn...

Sometimes I forget that I have pancreatic cancer because I just don’t believe it’s going to kill me.

In fact, I’ve never felt healthier...

Did you know that cancer treatments can cause changes to your skin? Sometimes these changes are simply cosmetic, but other times they may...

As a funeral home owner and operator in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Rev. Lawrence Meadows knows what it means when doctors start talking...

Aaron Allcorn thought a persistent head cold was causing his stuffy nose and snoring.

But after what was supposed to be routine nasal...

When my parents were undergoing cancer treatment in the 1980s and early 2000s, I didn’t know how to help them cope with their diagnoses. I...

Over the last 11 years, Katy Tucker has endured a nephrectomy, Gamma Knife® radiosurgery and six chemotherapy drugs. And though the 71-year-old...

When I was undergoing radiation therapy for my spinal tumor, I took my 12-year-old brother to the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center. He wanted...

Suzanne Moilanen has lived in six countries in the last 30 years. And while she enjoyed living abroad, it also allowed her to get complacent...

As a radiation oncologist at MD Anderson in The Woodlands, I get a lot of questions from my patients about how radiation therapy will affect...

It’s taken nine years, but Paulette Spivey finally can say with confidence that she’s living without any evidence of cancer.

“I know...

Nearly a decade ago, Maria Newhouse’s father was told that his colorectal cancer had metastasized to his liver and lungs and that he had no...

MD Anderson has been a part of Len Turpin’s family for generations. In the 1960s, his paternal great-grandmother was successfully treated...

Twin sisters Ana and Roxana Lopez were only 17 when their mother died of breast cancer. Over the next eight years, several of their aunts...

If you were told that there was a way to have surgery painlessly without general anesthesia, would you try it? Breast cancer survivor Kelly...

After God, I owe my life to MD Anderson.

In the fall of 2009, I started feeling not just tired, but exhausted. I also had an unpleasant...

Hearing you have a thyroid nodule can be scary, but it doesn’t always mean you have cancer. In fact, only about 10% of thyroid nodules are...

Becky Roberds’ wedding was set for July 11, 2015. The 38-year-old had already selected her venue, invited the guests and tailored her dress...

After a cancer diagnosis, many patients wait anxiously to hear the words “no evidence of disease.” But as Kimberly Hill has learned, the start...

In 1998, I became a labor and delivery nurse and loved it. I loved seeing the joy on new parents’ faces and holding the newborns.

But...

What an exciting year this has been! On April 17, 2017, I celebrated my 62nd birthday. About a month later, I celebrated my 6th. Confused?...

I’ve known my whole life that I wanted to be a doctor, just like my father. So when I got into medical school, I was thrilled to start down...

As Rebecca Stedman has learned firsthand, breast cancer treatment doesn’t always go as planned. That’s why she’s glad that she started her...

When Dianne Simpson rang the bell at MD Anderson on April 10 to signify the end of her high-grade serous ovarian cancer treatment, she considered...

Until recently, decades passed with little progress in improving the survival rates of parathyroid cancer patients. But our specialized, multidisciplinary...

Kurt Gibson knows life is an amazing race. During his last semester of college, the 22-year-old ultimate Frisbee player began to notice that...

When I turned 40 and it was time to schedule my first mammogram, I was hesitant to do so. I’ve heard many frightening stories about how painful...

My dad was initially diagnosed with stage II kidney cancer in January 2002. But the tumor in his kidney was contained, and surgery successfully...

Each year, more than 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. And though it most often occurs in women over age 40, younger women...

Radiation therapy to the pelvis is commonly used to treat women with lower gastrointestinal tract cancers, as well as gynecologic cancers,...

Linda Phetphongsy is still trying to adjust to life with breast implants, though she welcomes the peace of mind they bring her.

“I...

So, you’ve been through the discomfort and awkwardness of your Pap test, and you’ve gotten the unexpected call from your doctor: Your Pap...

A laryngectomy -- or a procedure to remove the voice box -- can bring up a lot of different emotions and concerns. It can also raise a lot...

An acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis (AML) in May 2016 came as no real surprise to Julia Dutton. She’d been fighting debilitating fatigue for...

If you’re always feeling physically, mentally or emotionally exhausted, you’re not alone. Fatigue is the most common side effect experienced...

Gary Rudman has a motto: “Never quit. Never stop. Not today. Not ever.” And he’s lived by it throughout his multiple myeloma journey....

More than half of cancer patients will receive radiation therapy, but what is it? Does it hurt? And what are the side effects?

We spoke...

Caring for my husband, Wayne, during his cancer journey enriched my life because we were able to spend so much time together. 

Between 8% and 18% of cancer patients have diabetes, a chronic condition that impacts the ability to regulate blood sugar levels. And, for...

A brain tumor diagnosis and treatment can bring many questions. That’s why John de Groot, M.D., co-leader of our Glioblastoma Moon Shot™,...

Before I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, I’d never had a mammogram. I was only 38 at the time, so I hadn’t started getting that...

April 4 is just another day to most people. But to Erika Evans, it’s an important one. This year, it marked the fifth anniversary of the day...

Getting enough calories and protein helps patients stay strong and fight cancer as well as other infections.

But studies show that...

Ovarian cancer symptoms can be rather vague – bloating, a feeling of fullness and/or constipation. But Diane Sarver didn’t have any of these...

In the middle of 2014, Daron Gribble received some unexpected news: a persistent sore spot under his right cheekbone had tested positive for...

Bloating. A feeling of fullness. Constipation. All of these can be symptoms of ovarian cancer. They can also be the result of a bad meal.<...

I wish the HPV vaccine had been available when I was younger.

If it had been, I might not have developed the tonsil cancer that stole...

Sally Hargroves has always been active and full of energy, so when the Floridian became increasingly tired in 2010, she suspected something...

At age 62, Tom Jackson was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The diagnosis is common among men his age, so he took it in stride.

But...

When you receive a cancer diagnosis, you quickly learn just how precious life is.

Almost seven years ago, I learned I had stage IIIC...

Even when Shannon Long found out that she had an acoustic neuroma, a type of benign brain tumor, her gratitude never wavered.

“I was...

The first time Anthony Palmer assisted on an intradural spinal tumor surgery, the spinal nerves looked like fiber-optic cables, he thought...

As an attorney, Corey Ellis has endured strict deadlines and harsh hours. All of that, though, pales in comparison to the stress he experienced...

Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that helps your body fight infection. A condition called neutropenia occurs when the number of...

Like many students, Jasmine Ross started her junior year diving into new classes and projects, but in February 2011, the Texas A&M University-Corpus...

Historically, a lot of people who’ve had cancer didn’t have good outcomes. But it’s through their hardships — and the continuous breakthroughs...

Nimble robotic digits smaller than a finger that can excise cancerous tissue from the throat without cracking the patient’s jaw. Patient-physician...

By the time Jennifer Weihe decided to try laser interstitial thermal therapy, or LITT, with neurosurgeon Ganesh Rao, M.D., she’d already been...

When I proposed to my girlfriend, Sarah, in September 2013, I thought that would be the biggest moment of my year. Little did I know that...

Debbie Ann Heckeroth wants everyone to know it’s possible to live a good life while having stage IV cancer.

Debbie lived in California...

In the late 1990s, doctors began to pay attention to chemobrain, a term used by an increasing number of patients to describe mental symptoms...

At increased risk for skin cancer? You may need regular skin cancer screening exams. These screening exams help find skin cancer early, when...

When you first come to MD Anderson, you may be so overwhelmed that you have a real sense of urgency when you get here. Maybe you feel like...

As someone who’s still in the midst of his cancer journey, I can honestly tell you that having cancer isn’t all doom and gloom. In fact, living...

I grew up in a medical family. My father was a doctor, and my mother was hospital dietitian. So, I've been familiar with medicine and medical...

While there are no foods that can kill cancer cells, the foods you eat during cancer treatment can have a big impact. Changes to your diet...

I might be the only MD Anderson patient who never had cancer. Or, at least, that’s how I felt on that winter day in 2008 when I first entered...

One of the things that I learned as a testicular cancer patient at MD Anderson is that distraction is the name of the game. Our brains are...

The connection between what we eat and how we feel is so elementary, yet for some reason we forget or push it to the side.

But as a...

I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin diffuse B-cell lymphoma on Aug. 14, 2015, and since then, I have undergone three rounds of chemotherapy,...

While I was shaving one morning in 2012, I noticed a large lump under my jaw. I immediately made an appointment to see an ear, nose and throat...

Your doctor may recommend that you undergo a stem cell transplant if you’ve been diagnosed with a blood cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma...

Singer Kimmie Rhodes had been married to legendary music producer Joe Gracey for 28 years when he died of metastatic esophageal cancer in...

I was diagnosed with melanoma in October 2014, at the age of 26.

It all started with a bump on my scalp, which nobody could really...

When Sandra Hurley was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) back in 1997, an Ohio-based oncologist gave her two to four more...

Singer and songwriter Kimmie Rhodes holds a somewhat unique distinction: she’s supported two different people on their oral cancer journeys...

In 1980, Jack Brown was 38 and busy working in oilfield sales. When a lump appeared on his left groin, he ignored it until his wife, Bobbie...

Tim Orellano knew something was wrong when minimal physical activity made him short of breath. “Other than acid reflux, I considered myself...