This article presented the findings from two studies indicating that statin medications used to manage cholesterol levels did not prevent development of breast, prostate, lung or colorectal cancer or death from these cancers. Overall, a balanced story.
Did not mention cost of treatment
Mentioned lack of
benefit from statins for this purpose; also provided some details of side effects of statins
Provided a walk through the various types of clinical evidence.
In addition to
quoting study authors, a quote from an editorial in the journal in which one of the articles was published was provided.
Did not mention other options for
reducing cancer risks.
Mentioned that statins are widely used and considered safe. Mentioned that use as cancer
preventative would be an off-label use (i.e. drugs not approved for this purpose)
Examined a new use for a
class of medications (statins).
Systematic, Criteria-Driven
Why fact-checking is not enough to prevent the spread of misleading health care news...@HealthNewsRevu https://t.co/fzC2JbDYGV
Simply fact-checking an article "fails to capture questions of nuance and context that arise – or should arise – whenever evaluating medical evidence." https://t.co/HrYkGj12q1
We wrote only about efforts that label themselves as “fact-checking” projects. You’ll see that if you read the piece.
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