News
Collaboration of Care to Battle a Rare Cancer
After moving from Connecticut to North Carolina, Tom developed a purple, itchy spot on his back that his doctor thought might be a cyst. After a biopsy and several tests, it was confirmed that what he had was blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), a rare cancer involving his skin, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. Since the first case of BPDCN was reported in 1994, only a few hundred cases have been recorded. Having received a diagnosis of an extremely rare and aggressive cancer, Tom knew two things for certain; he wanted to be treated at a world-class cancer center, and he wanted to be near family. This led him to The Veterans Affairs (VA) Comprehensive Cancer Center in West Haven under the direction of Michal G. Rose, MD, and to Smilow Cancer Hospital, under the care of Iris Isufi, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology).