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
Study : Supportive care can improve quality of life for people with metastatic breast cancer
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer
Metastatic breast cancer patients have unique needs for treatment and care. Connecting patients to appropriate support services and palliative care is an area of need in health care. A recent study reported improvement in metastatic breast cancer patient quality of life and wellness with an intervention program called the Supportive, Education and Advocacy (MBC-SEA) program. (8/21/19)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Study : Diagnosis and treatment delays in young women with breast cancer
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Young women who find a breast lump and young women newly-diagnosed with breast cancer
Young women are more likely to have delays in a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Factors that affect these delays include pregnancy, breastfeeding, financial concerns and having a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. (8/5/19)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : CDK inhibitors may increase survival for ER-positive metastatic breast cancer patients
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: People with metastatic, hormone-positive, Her2-negative breast cancer
The phase III MONALEESA-7 study is a clinical trial looking at the effect of a type of treatment known as a CDK4/6 inhibitor in pre- or perimenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive advanced breast cancer. (7/22/19)
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Study : Results from the POLO trial: Olaparib may delay cancer progression in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients with BRCA mutations.
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with pancreatic cancer who have a BRCA mutation
Note: On 12/27/19, the FDA approved olaparib for treatment of pancreatic cancer in people with a BRCA mutation based on the results of the POLO study.
The POLO clinical trial looks at whether the PARP inhibitor olaparib improves outcomes for those with metastatic pancreatic cancer after platinum-based chemotherapy. (7/3/19)
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : New targeted therapy approved for early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: People with early-stage, Her2-positive breast cancer (stages 1-3)
The KATHERINE trial looked at the benefit of the new drug, Kadcyla, for treating early-stage breast cancer after surgery and chemotherapy. The results of this study led to FDA approval in May 2019. (6/17/19)
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Guideline : FDA approves an immunotherapy treatment for some patients with triple-negative breast cancer
Most relevant for: People with metastatic, triple-negative breast cancer
THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN UPDATED: In August 2021 Roche voluntarily withdrew their FDA accelerated approval for Tecentriq (atezolizumab) in combination with chemotherapy (Abraxane®, albumin-bound paclitaxel; nab-paclitaxel) for the treatment of adults with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) whose tumours express PD-L1.
The FDA approved the use of the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in combination with the chemotherapy agent nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) for certain patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer. (5/26/19)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Study : Smart drug shows promising results for treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Most relevant for: People with metastatic, triple-negative breast cancer
THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN UPDATED on 04/27/20: Based on the results from the study reviewed in this XRAY, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved sacituzumab govitecan-hizy (Trodelvy), as a treatment for people with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who have received at least two prior therapies for metastatic disease.
We report results of an early-stage clinical trial of a new class of drugs for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). IMMU-132 is a combination of two different molecules: an antibody that targets certain types of cancer and delivers a chemotherapy drug that can kill cancer cells. This study looks at whether IMMU-132 is safe and effective for treating metastatic TNBC. (4/16/19)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Guideline : Breast surgeons recommend genetic testing for all breast cancer patients
Relevance: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: Anyone diagnosed with breast cancer
The American Society of Breast Surgeons published statement on genetic testing for hereditary breast cancer on February 10, 2019. It includes recommendations about who should be tested. Among these is the recommendation that all breast cancer patients get genetic testing, as well as women who do not have breast cancer but fit the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. (3/25/19)
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Article : Promise of a cure for cancer is too good to be true
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with cancer
The Jerusalem Post published an article titled, “A cure for cancer? Israeli scientists may have found one.” The story profiled a small Israeli company called Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies that has been working on developing new cancer treatments since 2000. The article relied almost entirely on an interview with the company’s chairperson of the board who made a series of unsubstantiated claims that included that, in a year’s time, the company will offer a complete cure for cancer. (2/12/19)
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Article : The cost of cancer care and impact of financial hardship on treatment
Most relevant for: Anyone diagnosed with cancer
Several recent studies on the cost of cancer care show the negative effects on cancer patients. We review an article by Kaiser Health News and associated studies about the financial impact of breast cancer treatment and cost of precision medicine. (2/8/19)
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