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
All XRAYs
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : Patient outcomes and experiences of going flat
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: Women considering mastectomy without breast reconstruction.
Some patients with early-stage breast cancer or those considering risk-reducing surgery may choose mastectomy without reconstruction. This is often referred to as “going flat.” The results of this study suggest that surgeons play a significant role in supporting a patient’s decision to go flat. (3/23/2021)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : Body Mass Index (BMI) may affect how well aspirin use protects against colorectal and ovarian cancer
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: People concerned about their risk of colorectal or ovarian cancer.
This study looked at the impact of daily aspirin use on the risk for many types of cancers and whether this effect can be modified by risk factors such as obesity, smoking, physical inactivity or a family history of cancer. Daily aspirin use:
- lowered the risk for colorectal cancer, but this effect was lost as Body Mass Index (BMI) increased.
- lowered the risk of ovarian cancer risk among obese women.
- offered little or no protection against breast, endometrial or advanced prostate cancer.
(posted 3/19/21)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : Can tumor tests identify more breast cancer patients who can safely skip chemotherapy?
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: Women with breast cancer
Two studies presented at the December 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium looked at how tumor testing can identify patients who may benefit the most and the least from chemotherapy. (3/4/21)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Update : FDA approves Orgovyx, the first oral hormone therapy of its type for treating advanced prostate cancer
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: Men with advanced prostate cancer
In December 2020, the FDA approved Orgovyx to treat advanced prostate cancer. The findings were based on the HERO clinical trial of more than 900 men. Data from this trial showed the new therapy was safer than standard androgen deprivation treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer and risk of cardiovascular disease. (2/18/21)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Study : Breastfeeding may lower risk of ovarian cancer in women with BRCA mutations
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Most relevant for: Women considering breastfeeding who have inherited BRCA mutations.
Data from a large-scale study suggests that breastfeeding may protect against ovarian cancer in women with inherited mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2. (1/28/21)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : How breast cancer patients experience hormone therapy
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: Breast cancer patients taking or considering taking hormone therapy
Side effects from hormone therapy are a common reason that many men and women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer stop treatment early. Some people never start hormone therapy. This study asked patients about their experiences with hormone (or endocrine) therapy. The results suggest that there may be ways to improve the number of patients who stick with therapy. Patients need better ways to manage hormone therapy-related side effects. (1/19/21)
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Update : FDA approves new imaging drug for detecting spread of prostate cancer
Most relevant for: Men with prostate cancer
On December 1, 2020 the FDA approved a new type of imaging technology to confirm the spread of newly diagnosed prostate cancer that is suspected to be metastatic. The approval also includes use for confirming suspected recurrence in men who have rising PSA after treatment. The approval is based on two clinical trials that showed this new technique to be safe and consistent in accurately detecting cancer that has spread beyond the prostate gland. (1/7/21)
THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN UPDATED on 5/10/2022: On March 23, 2022 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug called Pluvicto to treat patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. ON the same day, the FDA also approved a new imaging drug called Locametz (a brand of Gallium 68 PSMA-11) for identification of those patients who would benefit from treatment with Pluvicto. Read about the FDA approval of Pluvicto and Locametz here.
Este artículo está disponible en español.
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Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Study : Women support delayed removal of ovaries
Relevance: Medium-High
Strength of Science: Medium-High
Research Timeline: Human Research
Most relevant for: Women at high risk of ovarian cancer who are considering undergoing risk-reducing surgery.
Risk-reducing early removal of fallopian tubes followed by removal of ovaries at a later date was acceptable to women at high risk of ovarian cancer due to an inherited mutation in a recent study. This was especially true for women worried about sexual dysfunction associated with surgical menopause. (12/24/20)
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : Immunotherapy drug Keytruda received FDA approval and showed benefit for treatment of colorectal cancer
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: People with advanced colorectal cancer and a type of biomarker called MSI-High (MSI-H)
In June 2020, the FDA approved Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as an initial therapy for advanced colorectal cancer. This approval was based on the results from the KEYNOTE-177 study. In this study, Keytruda was more successful than chemotherapy in delaying progression of certain types of colorectal cancers. (11/25/20)
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Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Study : Trodelvy clinical trial results likely practice-changing for people with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer
Relevance: High
Strength of Science: High
Research Timeline: Post Approval
Most relevant for: People with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer
The ASCENT study confirmed an earlier study and showed that the drug sacituzumab govitecan-hizy (Trodelvy) improves outcomes for people with previously treated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. These results further support the use of Trodelvy as a standard therapy for patients with pretreated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. (11/20/20)
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