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.
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Metastatic Breast Cancer
Study : Does eating soy affect the risk of death in breast cancer survivors?
Most relevant for:
Is eating soy safe for people who have had breast cancer? This topic has been controversial among health care providers, patients, and survivors for many years because research has yielded mixed results. Some studies suggest people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer should eat more soy products, while other studies recommend they eat less or avoid it altogether. Which should it be? Adding to this research is a new study that asked breast cancer survivors about their soy consumption before and after diagnosis. (4/27/17)
Read More![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/breat-cancer-and-soy.jpg)
Relevance: Medium-Low
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Strength of Science: Medium-High
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Research Timeline: Animal Studies
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Article : Does metastasis happen earlier than previously thought?
Relevance: Medium-Low
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Strength of Science: Medium-High
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Research Timeline: Animal Studies
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Sharon Begley discusses an unconventional new idea about how cancer cells spread (a process known as metastasis) in her recent piece for the website STAT. She states that, “cancer cells spread way earlier than thought, seeding metastases that cause most deaths.” (3/28/17)
Read More![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/cancer-cells.jpg)
Study : Friends and family may help breast cancer survival
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with breast cancer
Does having a large social network help breast cancer survivors have better outcomes? Research from the current study found that socially isolated breast cancer survivors had an increased risk of recurrence and breast cancer-specific mortality. (3/16/17)
Read More![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/woman-and-social-networks.jpg)
Relevance: Medium-High
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Strength of Science: Medium
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Research Timeline: Human Research
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Study : Research suggests exercise is safe for breast cancer patients at risk for lymphedema
Relevance: Medium-High
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Strength of Science: Medium
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Research Timeline: Human Research
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Most relevant for: People with, or at high risk for lymphedema after breast cancer
Patients and health care providers are often concerned about how exercise affects lymphedema (swelling in the arm or hand) in breast cancer survivors or other women who have had lymph node biopsy at the time of mastectomy. Research on this topic has been mixed. A new study suggests that exercise after breast cancer treatment does not lead to lymphedema or worsen existing lymphedema. However, because this study was small, more work needs to be done to understand the relationship between exercise and lymphedema in cancer survivors. (2/22/17)
Read More![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/61d45aeba8ef9.jpg)
Relevance: Medium-Low
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Strength of Science: Medium-High
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Research Timeline: Lab Research
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Study : Hot chili pepper component slows growth and kills laboratory-grown breast cancer cells
Relevance: Medium-Low
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Strength of Science: Medium-High
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Research Timeline: Lab Research
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Most relevant for: This research is not relevant to people yet
Finding new treatments that target triple-negative breast cancer is an area of great interest. An early step in developing these treatments is learning more about the biology of tumor in the laboratory. This study looked at how capsaicin, the spicy component of chili peppers, might work with a protein found in many cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer, to stop cancer cell growth. This is the first step in a long process towards developing new treatments for triple-negative breast cancer. (2/14/17)
Read More![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/hot-chili-pepper.jpg)
Relevance: Medium-High
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Strength of Science: Medium
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Research Timeline: Human Research
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Study : High vitamin D levels at breast cancer diagnosis may be associated with a better prognosis
Relevance: Medium-High
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Strength of Science: Medium
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Research Timeline: Human Research
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Most relevant for: Women at average risk for breast cancer and newly diagnosed women
Vitamin D is most known for its role in maintaining bone health but vitamin D has additional roles in keeping us healthy. In this study, researchers found that breast cancer patients who had the highest amounts of vitamin D in their blood (slightly over the recommended levels) had better health outcomes, including overall survival, than women with lower amounts of vitamin D. This finding adds to the growing evidence for the role of vitamin D in cancer, but it does not change how breast cancer is prevented or treated. (1/10/17)
Read More![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/Vitamin-D-and-Prognosis.jpg)
Relevance: Medium-High
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Quality of Writing: Medium
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Personal Story : Men get breast cancer too
Relevance: Medium-High
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Quality of Writing: Medium
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Most relevant for: Men diagnosed with breast cancer
Cathy Free's piece for People, “Men Have Breasts Too: New York Man Who Survived Stage 2 Breast Cancer Spreads Message,” tells the stories of two men whose experiences with breast cancer inspired them to speak openly about breast cancer awareness for men. (11/29/16)
Read More![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/men-get-breast-cancer.jpg)
Study : Cancer treatment costs can vary widely
Most relevant for: People diagnosed with breast cancer
Healthcare providers cannot give their breast cancer patients information on chemotherapy treatment costs because not enough is known about the exact costs. New research finds that costs vary not only between different cancer treatments, but also between similar treatments, such as all treatments that target HER2+ breast cancer. (11/22/16)
Read More![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/costs-of-cancer-treatment.jpg)
Relevance: Medium-High
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Quality of Writing: High
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Personal Story : CBS News brings attention to the issues facing young metastatic breast cancer patients
Relevance: Medium-High
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Quality of Writing: High
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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![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/young-women-metastatic-breast-cancer.jpg)
Study : Breast cancer mortality among Hispanic women in the United States varies by country of origin
Most relevant for:
"Hispanic" is a broad ethnic category that includes people from numerous countries. When discussing breast cancer statistics, Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans and people whose families originated in Central and South America are typically grouped into one Hispanic category. A new study looked at whether the country of origin affected breast cancer prevalence and mortality rates in Hispanic women in the U.S. (10/25/16) Este artículo está disponible en español.
Read More![](https://www.facingourrisk.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,height=400,fit=contain,format=webp/uploads/assets/xray/61d98feb7cbf1.jpg)
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