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Chemotherapy
Dr. Sidney Farber and his team of clinicians and laboratory scientists are the first to use chemotherapy to treat cancer. They achieved the world's first successful remission of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. -
The Jimmy Fund Building
The Jimmy Fund Building to treat childhood cancer patients is completed, located adjacent to Boston Children's Hospital. Childhood cancer patients receive outpatient care in the Jimmy Fund Building, while surgery and inpatient care continue to be provided at Boston Children's Hospital. -
Wilms Tumor
Dr. Sidney Farber and colleagues achieve the first remissions in wilms tumor of the kidney, a common form of childhood cancer. By employing the antibiotic actinomycin D in addition to surgery and radiation therapy, they boost cure rates from 40 to 85 percent. -
Underlying Molecular Defect
Dr. Robert Baehner and David Nathan describe the NBT test for chronic granulomatous disease, a diagnostic test that also helped pinpoint the key underlying molecular defect in the disease. -
Clinical Trial
Dr. Emil Frei lll and Stephen Sallan start the first in an ongoing series of clinical trials for children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL ). These clinical trials, now provided through the (ALL), dramatically improve treatment and play a key role in building toward today's cure rates of 85- 90%. -
Genetic Tests
Dr. Stuart Orkin develops restriction endonuclease mapping ( genetic tests) to diagnose thalassemia in unborn children. A similar technique leads to the development of prenatal tests for sickle cell anemia. -
Hydroxyurea
Dr. Orah Platt and David Nathan discover that hydroxyurea raises fetal hemoglobin. Hydroxyurea quickly becomes ( and currently still is) the best therapy for sickle cell anemia. -
Jimmy Fund Clinic
Two out of every three children who enter the Jimmy Fund Clinic are cured.The Jimmy Fund supports Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care and research to improve the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world. -
Erythropoietin Receptor
Dr. Alan D'Andrea clones the erthropoietin receptor, which controls red blood cells. -
Dr. Carlo Brugnara
A team at Boston Children's Hospital led by Dr. Carlo Brugnara discovers that a common anti-fungal medication, clotrimazole, prevents dehydration in red blood cells, a factor in sickle cell disease. -
Microarrays
Dr. Todd Golub first uses gene expression microarrays to differentiate cancers. -
Neroblastoma
A study by Stephen Grupp, Lisa Diller, and colleagues find that induction chemotherapy followed by tandem high- dose therapy and peripheral blood stem- cell rescue in rapid sequence significantly improve survival rates for children with high- risk neuroblastoma. -
Dr. Peter Manley
A study by Dr. Peter Manley finds that children with low- grade gliomas have increased long- term survival if they do not receive radiation therapy. -
Dr. Lewis Silverman
A study by Dr. Lewis Silverman finds that prophylactic antibiotics significantly reduce the risk of serious bacterial infections in children during the critical first month of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). While the overall cure rate for ALL is high, about one to two percent of children with ALL die during the first month of therapy from treatment complications, primarily infection- related. -
Dr. Lisa Diller
A study Dr. Lisa Diller finds that children with high-risk neuroblastoma whose treatment included two autologous stem- cell transplants were more likely to be free of cancer three years later than patients who underwent a single transplant.