Categories Cancer Treatment
Relevance: Medium
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with advanced cancer
Article: A cancer patient’s tumor is genetically profiled—how does that info help treatment?
Jessica Wapner's Scientific American article explores the difficulties of making the vast amount of information acquired from tumor gene tests useful to patients and physicians. (9/20/16). Update: THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN UPDATED. In late 2017, the FDA approved two separate tumor profiling tests to help guide treatment choices. The FoundationOne CDx (F1CDx) genomic test has been approved to test for 15 different targeted therapies used to treat five types of cancer, including ovarian, colorectal, lung, breast and melanoma. The FDA also approved the MSK-IMPACT and developed for use by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) to scan tumor samples for 468 different cancer-associated mutations or alterations.
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Relevance: High
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Study: How beneficial is online communication after a new diagnosis of breast cancer?
Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients often use online communication to find more information about their diagnoses and treatment options. But does online communication benefit these patients' decision-making process? (8/30/16)
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Relevance: Medium-High
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Study: Extending aromatase inhibitor duration to 10 years lowers recurrence for ER/PR+ breast cancer patients
Hormonal therapy reduces the risk of recurrence for women with early-stage breast cancer that is ER-and/or PR-positive. Standard therapy lasts 5 years. A new study looks at whether extending one type of hormonal therapy, known as aromatase inhibitor therapy, to 10 years lowers recurrence rates even more for these women. (7/26/16)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with cancer
Study: Financial burden affects quality of life of cancer survivors
Cancer-related financial burden can keep survivors from getting the care that they need, yet how this burden affects mental and physical health is still unknown. A study found that almost one-third of cancer survivors report having financial burden; those most likely to be affected were under age 65, female, members of racial or ethnic minority groups, and people who lack access to adequate insurance. (5/17/16)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Young women diagnosed with breast cancer who have not yet had genetic testing
Study: BRCA testing in young women with breast cancer
National guidelines recommend genetic testing for BRCA mutations in young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. However, little is known about how women decide to get testing, or how they use genetic information to decide on treatment options. This study found that genetic testing is increasing among young breast cancer survivors, and it explores some of the factors that play into patients’ decision making about genetic testing. (3/22/16)
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Relevance: Medium
Most relevant for: Breast cancer patients who have an inherited mutation and breast cancer patients who developed leukemia after treatment for breast cancer.
Study: Potential genetic basis for breast cancer survivors who develop therapy-related leukemia
The population of breast cancer survivors in the United States is increasing. One rare but dangerous long-term effect of breast cancer treatment is an increased risk of leukemia, a type of bone marrow cancer. A recent study uncovered a potential genetic basis for this condition. (01/26/2015)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Women with early stage breast cancer
Study: Does lumpectomy or mastectomy provide better survival for women with early stage breast cancer?
Previous research has hinted that women who have breast-conserving surgeries have the same, if not better, overall survival as women who have mastectomies. Researchers in this study wanted to see if that was true; they found that women who chose breast-conserving surgeries did have a higher overall survival. However, this study, presented at the 2015 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, had limitations that make it difficult to interpret the results or to extend them to all women with breast cancer. (01/19/2016)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Women who were diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant
Study: Effects of cancer diagnosis and treatment during pregnancy on the health and development of the child
Very little work has studied how a woman's cancer diagnosis and treatment during pregnancy affects her child. This study of women who were diagnosed with cancer while pregnant looks at their children at ages 18 months and 3 years. The study found no difference in general, cognitive, and cardiac development when compared to children born to healthy mothers. (12/08/2015)
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Relevance: Low
Most relevant for: The clinical relevance of this study for people is not clear
Study: Do antioxidants encourage the spread of cancer cells?
Scientists do not yet know why some cancers spread to other parts of the body (a process called metastasis). A study in mice suggested that high doses of some antioxidants (chemicals that can protect cells from damage) might actually make it easier for cancer cells to spread. (12/01/2015)
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Relevance: Low
Most relevant for: Because this video is full of medical misinformation, it is not relevant for anyone making healthcare decisions
Article: What “The Truth About Cancer” got wrong about BRCA mutations and cancer
A website called thetruthaboutcancer.com, created a 9-part docu-series titled “The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest” (TACGQ). The video states that Angelina Jolie’s decision to remove her breasts was one made out of fear; one commentator states that her decision was “barbaric." This video contains a lot of dangerous misinformation about BRCA mutations and inherited cancer. FORCE XRAYS provides the following point-by-point analysis on "The Truth About Cancer." (11/10/2015)
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