Mark Singer tells his story, and how Google played a big part

Mark Singer 58, anaplastic thyroid cancer, Barrington, RI   In the early stages of the pandemic, Mark knew something was wrong when he noticed a small lump on his neck. Soon after, he went to an ER for testing and received a diagnosis of anaplastic thyroid cancer, a very serious form of the disease which prior to 2017 had a one-year survival rate of 10% -20%.  After Googling “Best Cancer Hospitals in New England,” Dana-Farber moved to the top of his list for care. Mark started with a year of immunotherapy treatments with Nivolumab, also known as Opdivo, and Dupixent, which he still currently takes, for any side effects. Immunotherapy is a new cancer treatment that allows the body’s own immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells.  Mark had a rapid and profound response and has shown no evidence of disease for over a year. In addition to immunotherapy, his care team was able to remove a cancerous tumor from his thyroid, several cancerous lymph nodes, and perform vocal-chord repaire surgery.  Today, Marks feels mostly back to his pre-cancer self. You can find him boating around Lake Winnipesaukee or riding on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He’s supported by his wife, Mary, and their two children, Michael and Maggie.