The story describes using an existing chemotherapy drug after surgery to try to delay pancreatic cancer from returning. The story does a nice job of meeting the criteria, including desribing the type of evidence for the latest findings, reporting absolute benefits (including a discussion of the modest cancer-free survival gains), availability and novelty of the drug, cost information, and use of an independent source (and disclosure of study funding sources).
And all of this was done in just 688 words.
The story provides monthly costs of the drug (at least when used to treat inoperable cancer, which may or may not be used the same as for treating cancer after surgery).
The story provides absolute data, including proportion of participants in the treatment group and control group who had their cancer come back and the timing of when that occured.
Some harms of treatment are described, such as fatigue and hair thinning. These are also described as relatively mild, which may be true in comparison to other chemotherapy agents.
The story describes that some participants were randomized after surgery to receive the study drug, which is a description of a randomized clinical trial. The story also provides some indicators of the strength of the latest study, such as the number of participants followed, and also mentions this study in connection with a larger study published last year that supports the latest findings.
No obvious disease mongering. The story describes disease burden and natural history of the cancer.
An independent source of information was quoted, but the story could have been improved had the expert actually commented on the study findings vs. the disease burden of pancreatic cancer.
The story describes other treatment options, including surgery, with or without chemotherapy. Radiation is also mentioned as an option, combined with chemotherapy.
The story reports that the study drug is currently used to treat inoperable pancreatic cancer and is also a common chemotherapy drug, often used to treat other cancers.
The story describes that the drug studied has been used to treat inoperable pancreatic cancer as well as some other types of cancer, letting readers know this is not a new drug, but rather, a new application of an existing drug.
The story provides a quote from a researcher not involved in the study, so it's clear that resources other than a press release were used.
Systematic, Criteria-Driven
Take all the issues enmeshed in any cancer screening story and amplify it with the liquid biopsy issue. @AP's @CarlaKJohnson. did a solid job here. https://apnews.com/article/science-business-health-hodgkin-lymphoma-oregon-ca899bb9c4c7f1859d4e9ce16a1cf78d
Come on, NY Times; you must do better than this. Important research doesn’t need hype and the “breaking news” BS doesn’t help readers or patients. https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2022/03/nyt-proclaims-breaking-news/
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