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Scientists and doctors seeking to unravel some of the mysteries behind the deadliest form of breast cancer have put out a call to patients diagnosed with the disease: Please send us your DNA. These researchers are creating a national database of patients’ blood and tumor samples, along with their medical records, to better understand what triggers metastatic, or stage IV, breast cancer and how it might be stopped. (Westervelt, 2/15)

The Oncology Research Information Exchange Network began nearly two years ago as a joint effort between the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. ORIEN aimed to build a database like nothing cancer researchers had seen before — a huge collection of detailed patient records and blood and tissue samples from cancer patients across the country. Ohio State and Moffitt put up $2 million to establish the network. (Kurtzman, 2/13)

Doctors who supervise cancer treatments have long been concerned about side effects, including fatigue, hair loss and depression. To that list, some now add the potentially harmful effects of costly treatments. Researchers call it “financial toxicity.” The financial burdens that some patients suffer as a result of the cost of their treatments can cause damage to their physical and emotional well-being. Repercussions can include delaying or forgoing the treatment and only partly filling or even avoiding taking prescribed medication. (Ward, 2/15)