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
Keyword: fertility
Relevance: Medium-High
Study : FORCE online survey: What breast cancer information do young women want and where do they look for it?
Most relevant for: Young women and the health care providers who treat them
FORCE developed the CDC-funded Examining Relevance of Articles to Young Survivors or XRAYS program to help young breast cancer survivors and those at high-risk better understand media coverage about new breast cancer research. To ensure that the program would be responsive to users’ needs, FORCE designed a web-based survey to assess where young women look for information about breast cancer and to learn their unmet information needs. The results of this survey were published in the journal Health Communications. (1/18/19)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Study : Improving outcomes for young women with breast cancer: fertility and childbearing issues
Most relevant for: Women diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age
Fertility issues and family planning decisions are prominent concerns for young women with breast cancer. This XRAYS looks at Dr. Ann Partridge’s presentation at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer symposium. Her talk, “Breast cancer in young women: Understanding differences to improve outcomes," focused on initial findings from the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study. Dr. Partridge’s research continues in the currently enrolling POSITIVE trial which tests whether women can safely interrupt adjuvant endocrine therapy in order to get pregnant. (1/7/19)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Study : Breast cancer risk increases modestly after childbirth
Most relevant for: Women in their childbearing years
Does having children alter the risk of breast cancer? Women who give birth have a lower lifetime risk of breast cancer. However, newer data suggests that breast cancer risk increases immediately after childbirth. A study published in December 2018 examines data from the Premenopausal Breast Cancer Collective Group seeking to clarify this issue. (12/28/18)
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : Childbearing after breast cancer among young survivors
Most relevant for: Young breast cancer survivors who wish to become pregnant
Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer as an adolescent or young adult often have not yet begun or finished childbearing. Researchers studied the impact of breast cancer and related treatment on birth rates and birth outcomes in young survivors. Overall, adverse birth outcomes were not increased for young survivors compared to women without cancer. However, women with ER-negative breast cancers had a modestly higher frequency of preterm and low weight births. The authors highlight the need for fertility counseling and potential fertility preserving methods prior to treatment. (5/10/18)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium
Study : Take your time, follow your heart: strategies for communication about family planning
Most relevant for: Young high risk women
When a woman is newly diagnosed with a BRCA mutation, she faces many risk management decisions. Although many of these decisions impact family planning, little guidance is available on how to communicate this information. This study examines female previvors’ advice on effective strategies for discussing family planning decisions. (03/28/18)
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Article : Coping with the financial burden of breast cancer
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with breast cancer
U.S. News & World Report recently talked to three breast cancer survivors, including two young women, about how they handled out-of-pocket costs and other medical expenses after their cancer diagnosis. (Posted 1/4/18)
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Study : Birth control and breast cancer risk among younger women
Most relevant for: Young women on, or considering taking hormonal birth control
On December 7, 2017 the New England Journal of Medicine published results from a study by Lina Mørrch of the University of Copenhagen and colleagues showing that hormonal contraceptives (birth control) increase the risk of breast cancer. The study is unique because it is one of the first to specifically assess the breast cancer risk associated with newer, low-dosage methods of contraception. The large and significant effort analyzed medical data of nearly 1.8 million young women in Denmark on average for over 10.9 years. Results were covered widely in the U.S. by many major media outlets, including the New York Times, USA Today, Forbes and Time. (12/14/17)
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Article : Preimplantation genetic diagnosis and hereditary cancer
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)
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Study : Pregnancy around the time of a breast cancer diagnosis does not negatively affect survival
Most relevant for: Young women diagnosed during or right after pregnancy and young survivors considering pregnancy after breast cancer
The number of women who become pregnant around the time of, or after a breast cancer diagnosis is increasing. However, it is unclear whether pregnancy around the time of a breast cancer diagnosis impacts survival. This recently published study demonstrates that the timing of pregnancy does not negatively affect breast cancer survival rates. (5/24/17)
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Study : Does IVF increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer?
Most relevant for: Woman at average risk for breast cancer who have or are considering undergoing In Vitro Fertilization
In vitro fertilization (IVF) wasn't commonly used until the 1980s, so its long-term effects are mostly unknown. A new study suggests that the treatment does not increase a woman's risk for developing breast cancer. (8/23/16)
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