Cancer In Massachusetts
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INFORMATION
​FOR THE COMMUNITY

Nearly 7 million people live in Massachusetts. A majority of residents have higher levels of income and education compared to the country, and more of them are covered by health insurance than any other state. As a result, residents of Massachusetts have better health overall than most people in the U.S.
 
Despite these relatively positive numbers, Cancer has become the leading cause of death among Massachusetts residents. Massachusetts rates of cancer incidence and mortality are higher than the U.S. overall. Within the state, cancer rates vary by race/ethnicity, gender, age, and geographic region.
 
But the true burden of cancer goes beyond statistics. Cancer affects people in many ways:
  • Financially (having trouble paying bills, skipping medication to save money)
  • Emotionally (depression, anxiety)
  • Long-term health effects (subsequent cancers, chronic diseases)
  • Effects on parents, children, families, caretakers, and others around the person who has/had cancer.

​The Harvard cancer community brings together research, clinical care, and community outreach to address the effects of cancer on all Massachusetts residents. This report highlights some of the work we are doing to improve the health of Massachusetts residents by:
  • Assessing cancer’s effects on our population and identifying priorities for action
  • Engaging with others to address cancer in Massachusetts
  • Researching and discovering the best approaches to reducing the effects of cancer  
 
Harvard institutions support a variety of activities that reach out to communities to limit the burden of cancer to Massachusetts residents.  These include:

Resources for Cancer Patients and Survivors

​​Young and Strong: A Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer (DFCI)
youngandstrong.dana-farber.org
​ASK About Skin Cancer
​AskAboutSkinCancer.org
​BRIDGE: Proactive Psychiatry Consultation and Case Management for Patients With Cancer
​View the Clinical Trial
​BIDMC Cancer Center Cancer Support Services
​Support Website
BIDMC Cancer Center Patient Navigator Services
​Navigator Website
​MGH Cancer and High Risk Specialty Patient Navigation
​Navigator Website​
​
Read the Related Paper
​​DFCI Patient Navigator Program
​Navigator Website
​Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care - Whittier Street Health Center
​wshc.org/services/specialty-care
​DFCI Cancer Care Equity Program
​Program Website
The Lazarex-MGH Cancer Care Equity Program
massgeneral.org/cancer/lazarex
​Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care
DFCCC Website
​MGH Cancer Center Community Providers
​massgeneral.org/cancer/community

Research Studies and Resources

​Breast Cancer WEight Loss Study (BWEL Study)
​View the Clinical Trial
Press Release
Read the Related Paper
PREMM5 Lynch Syndrome Prediction Model
​premm.dfci.harvard.edu
​Improving Informed Consent for Palliative Chemotherapy
​PCORI.org Project Page​
​Aspirin for Breast Cancer (ABC) clinical trial
abctrial.org
​​DF/HCC - UMass Boston U54 Partnership
umb.edu/u54
​Metastatic Breast Cancer Project
mbcproject.org
Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES)
​choicesproject.org
Nurses' Health Study
nurseshealthstudy.org
Physicians' Health Study
​phs.bwh.harvard.edu
​Growing Up Today Study (GUTS)
GUTS Website
​DF/HCC Brain SPORE
Brain SPORE Website
​DF/HCC Breast Cancer SPORE
​​Breast SPORE Website
DF/HCC Gastrointestinal Malignancies SPORE
GI SPORE Website
​DF/HCC Kidney Cancer SPORE
​Kidney SPORE Website
DF/HCC Multiple Myeloma SPORE
MM SPORE Website
DF/HCC Myeloid Malignancies SPORE
Myeloid SPORE Website
DF/HCC Prostate Cancer SPORE
Prostate SPORE Website
Harvard Transdisciplinary Research in Energetics and Cancer Center
hsph.harvard.edu/trec
PanScan, the Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium
PanScan Website
AACR Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE)
GENIE Website
Population-based Research to Optimize the Screening Process (PROSPR)
​healthcaredelivery.cancer.gov/prospr
Androgen Ablation Therapy With or Without Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer (CHAARTED)
​View the Clinical Trial
​NCI-MATCH Trial (Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice)
​MATCH Website
Harvard Lung Cancer Study (LCS)
LCS Website
Pancreatic Cancer Circulating Biomarker (Pan-C2-Bio) Consortium
Pan-C2-Bio Website
IRONMAN Registry (Prostate Cancer)
ironmanregistry.org
DFCI Center for Prevention of Progression of Blood Cancers (CPOP)
CPOP Website

Resources for the Community

Value
​Planet MassCONECT
​​planetmassconect.org
​​MGH Collaborative Care and Community Engagement Program
Collaborative Website
​DFCI Community Outreach
Outreach Website
​MGH Center for Community Health Improvement
massgeneral.org/cchi
BIDMC Community Benefits
​​Community Benefits Website
​​BIDMC's Community Health Centers
View Website
​BCH Community Mission
View Website
​BCH Community of Care Locations
View Website
DF/HCC Initiative to Eliminate Cancer Disparities (IECD)
View IECD Website
​DF/HCC Cancer Disparities Student Training Programs
Program Website

External Links

External Links
​American Cancer Society
​Massachusetts Department of Public Health
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This is a Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) project supported by the National Institutes of Health Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA006516 (DF/HCC).
Special thanks to the many people, across multiple institutions, who contributed to the development of this report.
  • Home
  • More Information
    • Information for Researchers
    • Information for the Community
  • Contact
  • Related Links
  • Initiatives
    • DF/HCC OCEE