Get notified of page updates
Education > XRAY > Search Results

FORCE's eXamining the Relevance of Articles for You (XRAY) program looks behind the headlines of cancer news to help you understand what the research means for you. XRAY is a reliable source of hereditary cancer research-related news and information.
Learn more about the XRAY program

How To Use XRAY
Search by Topic Submit an Article for Review

All XRAYs

231 through 240 of 323

Relevance: Medium-High

Research Timeline: Post Approval

View Related Clinical Trials

Guideline : Can MammaPrint guide treatment decisions?

Relevance: Medium-High

Research Timeline: Post Approval

View Related Clinical Trials

Most relevant for: Women diagnosed with ER-positive, Her2-negative early-stage breast cancer with 0-3 positive nodes

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) updated its guidelines for MammaPrint, a genomic tumor test that guides treatment decisions for patients with early-stage invasive breast cancer. The update was based on results from the MINDACT study (11/16/17). 

Read More

Relevance: Medium-High

Quality of Writing: High

View Related Clinical Trials

Article : Preimplantation genetic diagnosis and hereditary cancer

Relevance: Medium-High

Quality of Writing: High

View Related Clinical Trials

Most relevant for: people with an inherited mutation linked to cancer risk

Andrew Joseph’s piece for STAT, “A baby with a disease gene or no baby at all: Genetic testing of embryos creates an ethical morass,” focuses on  preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and the emerging ethical issue in the field of reproductive medicine: What to do when patients seeking to get pregnant select embryos with DNA that could lead to a disease or a disability.  (11/8/17)

Read More

Relevance: High

Strength of Science: Medium

View Related Clinical Trials

Study : Alcohol and breast cancer risk in African American women

Relevance: High

Strength of Science: Medium

View Related Clinical Trials

Most relevant for: African American women who would like to lower their breast cancer risk

The link between alcohol intake and breast cancer is well known, but most studies have involved only White women. Recently, a large study of more than 22,000 African American (AA) women found that similar to White women, increased alcohol consumption is associated with a greater risk of breast cancer. (10/27/17)

Read More

Relevance: Medium

Quality of Writing: Medium-High

View Related Clinical Trials

Article : Mixed reviews of at-home genetic testing

Relevance: Medium

Quality of Writing: Medium-High

View Related Clinical Trials

Most relevant for: People who are considering or have had direct-to-consumer testing

National guidelines recommend that patients meet with a genetics expert before undergoing genetic testing for cancer risk. Genetic counseling can help patients decide whether genetic testing is right for them and order the most appropriate test. Once test results are available, genetics experts also help patients understand their results. Over the last decade, the popularity of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing, such as 23andMe has grown. Some genetic tests are marketed to consumers on television, in print advertisements, and on the Internet. These “at-home” genetic tests give people direct access to their genetic information without first involving a healthcare provider in the process. A recent report outlines the benefits and limitations of DTC genetic testing. (10/20/17)

Read More

Relevance: Medium-Low

Strength of Science: Medium

Research Timeline: Animal Studies

Study : Can chemotherapy before surgery fuel breast cancer metastasis?

Relevance: Medium-Low

Strength of Science: Medium

Research Timeline: Animal Studies

Most relevant for: Newly diagnosed breast cancer patients

Some breast cancer patients are given neoadjuvant (before surgery) chemotherapy. However, some recent studies have raised concerns that neoadjuvant treatment might actually trigger cancer spread in certain situations. In the current study, researchers used mouse models and human breast cancers to explore this possibility. (10/10/17)

Read More

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium

Study : Beauty and the breast: hair product use and breast cancer risk

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium

Most relevant for: Women who use hair products who are concerned about their risk for breast cancer

Past studies using mostly animal models showed a link between use of hair products (dyes, straighteners and relaxers) and increased risk of certain cancers. In this study, researchers looked at data on hair product use among African-American (AA) and White women to see if certain types of hair products increased breast cancer risk, and how that risk might differ between race and breast cancer hormone status. (9/27/2017)

Read More

Relevance: Medium-High

Quality of Writing: Medium-High

View Related Clinical Trials

Article : Can lifestyle changes impact breast cancer risk?

Relevance: Medium-High

Quality of Writing: Medium-High

View Related Clinical Trials

Most relevant for: Any woman concerned about her risk for breast cancer

A recent New York Times article shared how “adopting protective living habits”  could help keep breast cancer “at bay”.  While many of these lifestyle changes and strategies like not smoking, avoiding weight gain, reducing alcohol consumption, eating a heart-healthy diet, and increasing physical activity have been shown to reduce breast cancer risk, there are other risk factors that one cannot control such as having a BRCA or other mutation that significantly increases breast cancer risk. Importantly, no one strategy has been proven to totally eliminate breast cancer risk. However many of these approaches have overall health benefits. (9/21/2017)

Read More

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium-High

Research Timeline: Post Approval

View Related Clinical Trials

Study : Does expanded genetic testing benefit Jewish women diagnosed with breast cancer?

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium-High

Research Timeline: Post Approval

View Related Clinical Trials

Most relevant for: Jewish women with breast cancer who previously tested negative for the three most common BRCA mutations

BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are common in people of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish descent. About 2% of all Ashkenazi Jewish people will test positive for one of three common mutations in these genes. Genetic testing for Jewish people sometimes focuses on only the three most common mutations. For Jewish women with breast cancer, little is known about their chance of carrying a different hereditary mutation that may increase risk. This study looked at expanded genetic testing in Jewish women diagnosed with breast cancer to learn how often they carried mutations other than the three most common BRCA gene mutations found in Ashkenazi Jewish people. (09/13/17)

Read More

Relevance: Medium

Strength of Science: Medium-Low

Study : Breast cancers can disappear without treatment: fact or fiction?

Relevance: Medium

Strength of Science: Medium-Low

Most relevant for: Women with abnormal mammograms

Previous studies and news headlines have reported that it is possible for breast cancers to regress or disappear on their own. Is this true? The authors of the current research study show that of 479 untreated breast cancers detected by screening mammography, none regressed or spontaneously disappeared on their own. (9/7/17)

Read More

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium

Research Timeline: Post Approval

Study : Does aspirin lower a woman’s breast cancer risk?

Relevance: Medium-High

Strength of Science: Medium

Research Timeline: Post Approval

Most relevant for: Women at average risk for breast cancer

Women who take aspirin regularly may have a reduced risk of breast cancer. However, previous studies have reported mixed results. Few of these studies have looked at whether this potential benefit of aspirin is linked to specific types of breast cancer. This study found a small reduction in breast cancer risk for women who took a low-dose aspirin at least three times per week, but only for one subtype of breast cancer. Women who took aspirin were less likely to develop ER/PR-positive, Her2- negative breast cancer, the most common type of breast cancer. This study found no breast cancer risk reduction for women who used regular-dose aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). (8/29/17)

Read More