Hello WhatNext! I wanted to share a community survey that we put together with the help of the team over at Patient Worthy. The survey covers aspects such as what you like best about WhatNext, what could be improved, added, fixed and more. We're also seeking advice from some of our cancer support and patient group partners at Patient Worthy to see what has worked for their communities. This survey will be vital feedback as planning for the future of WhatNext moves forward. We want to make...

My history with cancer goes back to 1988 when I got a crash course in what Hodgkin's Lymphoma is. That whirlwind started fast, then slowed down to a steady speed over the next 32 years. There have been some fantastic advances in cancer treatments, chemo, and the treatment of side effects. But some things haven't changed. 

Chemo Delivery - When I was diagnosed in 88, there wasn't a lot of time spent on education about the whole process. They didn't tell me what to expect, how it would...

So, I had traditional chemo treatments way back in 1988, and again in 1989 for my first two cancer diagnoses for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It did its job back then and I was clean of cancer for 20 years. 

Since then, I have had 3 more diagnoses, all in the last 11 years, 2 of them in the last year. Things have changed, treatments have changed, my body has changed, time is running out, options are running out. This is where I stand now. 

The chemo treatments that I had back in 88 and 89...

How Can Modern Technologies Improve Cancer Treatment?

The rapid advancement of modern technologies has largely changed the way the world functions. And the change is not necessarily negative, despite the claims and allegations of reserved individuals. Technological breakthroughs have given people unprecedented opportunities to have a better, safer life within today’s relentless social and political environments.

The highly beneficial impact of technologies manifests itself substantially in...

We’ve heard of PD-L1 — both in the news and in television ads — but most of us don’t understand what PD-L1 is or why it’s important. Let’s learn more.

What is PD-L1?

Our immune system contains T cells that can kill cancer cells. However, our bodies regulate these cells to ensure that they don’t attack our healthy cells (called an autoimmune reaction that could be potentially fatal).

Unfortunately, cancer cells have evolved, over the thousands of years, and learned how to prevent our T cells...

Originally posted at CB Insights.com

Why Neoantigen Vaccines Could Be The Next Big Immunotherapy Breakthrough

Neoantigen vaccines are being touted by some as the next big cancer treatment breakthrough. Here, we explore how these vaccines work and  the companies looking to bring them to market. Immunotherapy has taken center stage in the fight against cancer. Broadly, this type of treatment directs a patient’s immune system to attack cancer cells. Some...

Immunotherapy…we hear that word, but many cancer patients don’t understand exactly what immunotherapy is or how it works or it’s an option for their specific cancer/situation. So let’s take a closer look at immunotherapy.

The Jimmy Carter cancer story

Many of you remember that back August 20, 2015, former President Jimmy Carter announced that he had a liver tumor removed but that doctors also discovered 4 tumors in his brain. His outlook was grim, but his medical team at Emory University’s...

When we think of cancer treatment, chemotherapy is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Chemo makes the news almost every day, in part because of its sometimes brutal side effects including hair loss, nausea/vomiting, fatigue and weight loss/weight gain. There are just over 250 chemotherapy drugs that are utilized in the treatment of all different types of cancer. 

We may think, “Well, chemo is chemo.”

That’s true, but chemotherapy is used in different ways for different...

The Promising Future of Immunotherapy

Instead of disrupting the immune system like other treatments do, immunotherapy uses certain parts of your own immune system to fight cancer. Cancer cells often hide from the body’s immune system, but immunotherapy works to understand how cancer works, helping the immune cells find cancer cells and destroy them. Immunotherapy helps your body fight cancer in a couple different ways, including:

A) Giving your body important immune system components, such...