Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, but when I was diagnosed with it in November 2016, it didn’t feel that way. I was only 35 and single with no children. I was also globally ranked in the IRONMAN triathlon.
Initially, I thought I wouldn’t be able to have children or do another IRONMAN. So having breast cancer treatment tailored to my unique needs was very important. I wanted doctors who would consider all...

Brandon Sterling’s first week as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) was a crash course in collaboration.
As a newly credentialed...
If you’re preparing for chemotherapy for the first time, you may be wondering what to expect.
We asked our Facebook community...
I was hired as an infectious disease specialist by MD Anderson in 1983. And until I retired in January 2019, I routinely helped patients with one of the most common side effects of cancer treatment: infections.
But despite working at MD Anderson for more than 35 years and watching several of my colleagues struggle with cancer diagnoses, I put off getting a colonoscopy until I was 66. That’s 16 years later than recommended. The...

Getting a breast biopsy? You might be wondering what it is and how it works.
A breast biopsy is a diagnostic procedure in which a doctor...
Keith Taggart noticed a lump the size of a pea in his left cheek in October 2014. He was also experiencing fatigue, weight loss, nausea and...
My husband, Richard, likes to say, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it!” That’s what he said to me when I first noticed the small bump on the...
I was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma in December 2014, a year after I had a cancerous mole removed from my left calf. I thought I was done...
Cancer survivorship is not exactly what I thought it would be. It has brought both unexpected hardship and indescribable joy to my life. But...
I first became an MD Anderson patient more than 28 years ago, at age 4. But, I’ve never had cancer.
I was born with a genetic disorder...
From vitamin A to calcium to folate to zinc, there are dozens of types of supplements. And if you’re undergoing cancer treatment, you may...
Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare type of acute leukemia that impacts about 500-1,000 people in the U.S. each...