Media

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Doctor

Australia

"New breast cancer drug shown to prolong life"

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Published: 04 Jun 2012

Category: Pharmaceutical

Rating: (3½ stars)

Keywords: breast cancer clinical trial prognosis

what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

A DRUG that delivers a powerful poison to tumours without some of the side effects of traditional treatments can delay the worsening of breast cancer and also appears to prolong lives, according to a new study.

The original article can be found at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/new-breast-cancer-drug-shown-to-prolong-life-20120603-1zq36.html

how did it rate? (more information)

Criteria	Rating
Total Score	5 of 8
Novelty of Treatment	Not Satisfactory (?)
Availability of Treatment	Satisfactory (?)
Treatment Options	Satisfactory (?)
Disease Mongering	Satisfactory (?)
Evidence	Satisfactory (?)
Quantification of Benefits of Treatment	Satisfactory (?)
Harms of Treatment	Not Satisfactory (?)
Costs of Treatment	Not Applicable
Sources of Information	Not Satisfactory (?)
Relies on Press Release	Not Applicable

what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

This is a good story about new research on breast cancer treatment. It makes clear that the evidence comes from a conference presentation rather than an article in a peer reviewed journal (a higher level of evidence). However the story does not discuss the fact that there are several monoclonal antibody treatments already on the market.

The story has been imported from the New York Times and although it rates well, its readers would have benefited from local independent expert comment.

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