A tornado damaged a Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in Rocky Mount, N.C., in July. The facility makes almost 25% of Pfizer's sterile injectable medicines used in the U.S. Sean Rayford/Getty Images hide caption
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chemotherapy
Kristi Alcayaga's teenage son, Michael, was able to try a cancer drug called clofarabine that got an accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration. But the medicine didn't help him. Jovelle Tamayo for NPR hide caption
Drugmakers are slow to prove medicines that got a fast track to market really work
Deb Merchant's unsung hero, Scott Stevens, was at her side through two separate battles with cancer. Deb Merchant hide caption
Deb gave her boyfriend an 'opt out' option when she got cancer. He went another way
Suzanne Simard is a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia. Her own medical journey inspired her research into, among other things, the way yew trees communicate chemically with neighboring trees for their mutual defense. Brendan George Ko/Penguin Random House hide caption
Trees Talk To Each Other. 'Mother Tree' Ecologist Hears Lessons For People, Too
When the cancer clinic at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott closed in January, Karen Endicott-Coyan and other cancer patients had to continue their treatments out of town. Christopher Smith for Kaiser Health News hide caption
Have Cancer, Must Travel: Patients Left In Lurch After Town's Hospital Closes
Some critically ill patients who received a CAR-T cell treatment have remained cancer-free for as long as five years, researchers say. But the price is high. Fanatic Studio/Collection Mix: Subjects RF/Getty Images hide caption
Jana Krocakova and Petra Plankova of Mamma HELP show off their new brew aimed at helping breast cancer patients undergoing chemo to "feel normal" and overcome their impaired sense of taste. Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas hide caption
Women with a common form of breast cancer may be able to safely forgo chemotherapy, depending on the results of a genetic test. Lester Lefkowitz/Getty Images hide caption
Herceptin has proved to be effective in prolonging the lives of the 12 percent of women with breast cancer whose malignancy hasn't spread to other organs, and whose cancer is HER2-positive. But side effects can be a problem. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images hide caption
A combination of an immunotherapy drug from Merck and standard chemotherapy led to improved survival for cancer patients. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images hide caption
Kate Murphy felt frustrated by a lack of advice from doctors on how to use medical marijuana to mitigate side effects from her cancer treatment. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption
Mammography has helped increase the early detection of breast tumors. Now, researchers say, the goal is to discern which of those tumors need aggressive treatment, including chemotherapy or radiation after surgery. Chicago Tribune/Getty Images hide caption
Tumor Test Helps Identify Which Breast Cancers Don't Require Extra Treatment
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore opened a six-bed urgent care center next to its infusion center a couple of years ago. Of the patients who land there, about 80 percent are discharged home afterward, rather than needing admission to the hospital. Courtesy of Johns Hopkins Medicine hide caption
Listen to Anne Webster read her poem
Sometimes fast-acting chemotherapy can help slow an aggressive cancer — and give the slower-acting immunotherapies a chance to work. UIG Platinum/UIG via Getty Images hide caption
Old-Style Chemo Is Still A Mainstay In The Age Of Targeted Cancer Therapy
Sixty-three percent of women who used the Paxman cooling device said they used wigs or head wraps to cover up hair loss, compared to 100 percent of women who didn't try cooling. Courtesy of Baylor College of Medicine hide caption
Ovarian tissue containing hundreds of small resting eggs is prepared to be transplanted back after cancer treatment. Courtesy of Claus Yding Andersen hide caption
For best quality of life, many cancer patients who can't be cured might do best to forgo chemo and focus instead on pain relief and easing sleep and mood problems, a survey of caregivers suggests. iStockphoto hide caption
Anne Koller closes her eyes as an oncology nurse attaches a line for chemotherapy to a port in her chest. Koller typically spends three to six hours getting each treatment. Sarah Jane Tribble/WCPN hide caption
Women who had chemotherapy were more likely to lose their jobs, a survey finds. Amelie Benoit/BSIP/Corbis hide caption
Can these cartoon pals help reduce the stigma of cancer treatment for children? Courtesy of Ogilvy Brazil hide caption
Chemotherapy is administered to a patient at Duke Cancer Center in Durham, N.C. Gerry Broome/AP hide caption