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 Metastatic Cancer
Relevance: Medium-High
Quality of Writing: High
Personal Story : CBS News brings attention to the issues facing young metastatic breast cancer patients
Relevance: Medium-High
Quality of Writing: High
Most relevant for: Women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer
Beth Caldwell is a former civil rights lawyer, a mother of two, and a wife who was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer when she 37. Mary Brophy Marcus covered Beth’s story in her piece, “The hardest part” of breast cancer under 40, for CBS News. (11/8/16)
Read More
Relevance: High
Quality of Writing: High
Article : Huffington Post article brings attention to metastatic breast cancer
Relevance: High
Quality of Writing: High
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer
Barbara Jacoby's Huffington Post piece, "How do breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer differ?" emphasizes the need for more treatment options for patients with advanced breast cancer.
Read More
Relevance: Medium
Quality of Writing: High
Article : A cancer patient’s tumor is genetically profiled—how does that info help treatment?
Relevance: Medium
Quality of Writing: High
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with advanced cancer
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.
Read More
Study : Factors that affect the ability to work in people with metastatic cancer
Most relevant for: People living with metastatic cancer
Some patients who live with metastatic cancer either want or need to continue working while coping with symptoms of their disease and treatment. A recent study that looked at over 600 people with metastatic breast, prostate, colon, or lung cancer found that about one-third of them continue working full or part time. People most likely to continue working were those undergoing hormonal treatment and those with less severe symptoms or side effects from treatment. (4/12/16)
Read More
Relevance: Medium
Strength of Science: Medium
Research Timeline: Animal Studies
Study : Sugar promotes tumor growth and metastasis in mouse model breast cancer
Relevance: Medium
Strength of Science: Medium
Research Timeline: Animal Studies
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with breast cancer
Previous human studies found associations between high sugar intake and breast cancer risk. This study looked at the direct effect of sugar on breast cancer growth and metastasis in mice. While researchers observed that sugar increased tumor growth and metastasis, more work needs to be done to see if this finding is relevant in humans. It is important to remember, the overall health benefits of limiting sugar intake remain undisputed. (02/02/16)
Read More
Relevance: Low
Strength of Science: Medium
Research Timeline: Animal Studies
Study : Do antioxidants encourage the spread of cancer cells?
Relevance: Low
Strength of Science: Medium
Research Timeline: Animal Studies
Most relevant for: The clinical relevance of this study for people is not clear
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)
Read More