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
Categories Cancer Treatment
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Study : What influences aggressive end-of-life care for ovarian cancer?
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Most relevant for: People with advanced ovarian cancer
Aggressive medical treatment is often given to people with terminal ovarian cancer when prior treatment has stopped working. This aggressive end-of-life treatment conflicts with clinical guidelines, may increase pain and suffering and does not extend life. This study found that the end-of-life care that a person with ovarian cancer receives is influenced by their doctors. (Posted 1/3/23)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Study : Male breast cancer: Patient and surgeon experiences
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Most relevant for: Men with breast cancer
By surveying male breast cancer patients and the surgeons who treat them, researchers gained insight into the experiences of both groups, shedding light on an important issue for men with breast cancer. (Posted 12/22/22)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Guideline : Guidelines on exercise, diet, and weight during cancer treatment
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: People currently undergoing treatment for cancer
Most professional guidelines on exercise, diet and weight management have focused on the health of the general population and cancer survivors. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has now published evidence-based recommendations for exercise, diet and weight specifically for people who are in active treatment for cancer. (Posted 11/29/22) Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Study : Promising early results for people with DNA mismatch repair deficient rectal cancer
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Most relevant for: People with rectal cancer with high mutational burden or mismatch repair problems including people with Lynch syndrome.
A small research study tested the usefulness of the immunotherapy drug dostarlimab for treating locally advanced rectal cancer with a biomarker known as “dMMR” (DNA mismatch repair deficient). None of the participants had evidence of cancer six months later; some remained cancer free for up to 25 months). Many participants had Lynch syndrome. The remarkable response to this treatment may allow people with this particular subtype of rectal cancer to avoid potentially life-changing rectal surgery. (Posted 11/14/22) Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : More is not better: PARP dose can be safely reduced for people with ovarian cancer
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: People taking a PARP inhibitor for ovarian cancer maintenance therapy
Maintenance therapy with a PARP inhibitor is now the standard of care for many people with advanced or recurrent ovarian cancer. However, PARP inhibitors may have significant side effects. This study shows that reducing the dose of a PARP inhibitor does not affect survival. (Posted 11/8/22)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Update : Strategies for managing pancreatic cancer pain
Most relevant for: People with pancreatic cancer who are dealing with related pain.
Abdominal pain is often a severe, ongoing symptom of pancreatic cancer, yet little research has been done on how to best reduce this pain. The authors of this review discuss current strategies for managing cancer-related pain and their effectiveness. (Posted 10/31/22)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Update : PARP inhibitors withdrawn as third-line or later treatment for recurrent ovarian cancer
Most relevant for: people with recurrent ovarian cancer who have received 3 or more prior lines of treatment and who have an inherited or tumor mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 or whose tumor is HRD positive
Survival data from a clinical trial signaled that PARP inhibitors may not work as well as chemotherapy for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer who have received three or more lines of treatment. As a result, FDA approvals have been withdrawn for PARP inhibitors in this setting. This does not affect PARP inhibitor approvals for use as maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer. (Posted 10/4/22)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Study : PARP inhibitor treatment for metastatic prostate cancer shows most benefit in men with inherited BRCA mutations
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Most relevant for: People with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer who have an inherited or tumor mutation in BRCA2.
This study looked at the benefit of using the PARP inhibitor niraparib to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Participants included those with an inherited or tumor mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 or an inherited or tumor mutation in another gene that affects DNA repair. Participants with an inherited or tumor mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 had better survival compared to those without a BRCA mutation. Side effects from niraparib were common, and consistent with previous reports for PARP inhibitors. (posted 9/6/2022)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : Screening for pancreatic cancer detects early-stage disease and improves survival
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: People at increased risk for pancreatic cancer because of family history or an inherited mutation.
A research study has shown that screening for pancreatic cancer in people with an inherited mutation or family history was able to detect early-stage pancreatic cancers and improve survival. These results will likely change pancreatic cancer screening guidelines for high-risk individuals (Posted 8/30/22)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : A win for some patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: People with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer
A drug used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer improved survival in people with metastatic breast cancers that were previously considered HER2-negative. These results change practice guidelines for metastatic breast cancer and reclassify HER2 tumor marker status as “HER2-low” to guide treatment. (Posted 7/18/22)
Update: On 08/05/2022 the FDA approved Enhertu to treat people with metastatic, HER2-low breast cancer who have received prior chemotherapy in the metastatic setting or who developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing chemotherapy. Enhertu is also approved for treatment of people with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who progressed after prior anti-HER2 treatment. Este artículo está disponible en español.
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