My blog posted earlier today about the media coverage on the use of zoledronic acid (Zometa) as part of a treatment program to prevent breast cancer recurrence after primary treatment has garnered a bit of interest from some of my colleagues and friends.

So, in the interest of being fair, I want to emphasize that some of the reports (and there may be others; I don't have the time right now to do a comprehensive analysis) did at least acknowledge the issue, and some gave insights to suggest that the lead investigators reporting on the two studies had some different interpretations based on their respective studies.

Here are links to a sample of reports that meet the test of at least acknowledging there is an issue about the conflicting conclusions of these two studies:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/health/research/10breast.html

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/733978

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-bisphosphonates-20101210,0,4128775.story

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SABCS/23837

And, a fellow blogger did an exceptionally good job of detailing the information about the two trials on the Pharma Strategy Blog.

So, as I finish my day I feel a bit better than I did when I started it.  But the problem remains: who is going to take on the responsibility to see that the proper information is presented to the public so they are accurately informed?  Conference organizers love the attention of the media, but they have a responsibility to be certain that all of the information is offered in a complete and balanced manner with transparency to all.  If you are going to have a press conference, provide video on a website to others can have access to the information.  Make the abstracts publicly available, as well as the comments of anyone who is going to formally present a discussion on the impact of the particular study.

This is not a new problem, and certainly not limited to this one situation.  But I must say that I am seeing more and more of this happening in the name of science and it has me very concerned.

We spend a significant amount of time here talking about news that may not be what it seems. But even with all that experience, this one, my friends, is a real doozy. It's about how a major cancer conference and much of the news media left me hanging about the results of study presented yesterday, and the possibility that we've gotten only half of the story.

The conference in question is the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, which is a highly regarded and important gathering of researchers interested in the treatment of breast cancer.  The reports in question are the results of clinical trials of an osteoporosis drug called zoledronic acid (ZOL, trade name Zometa®) which is routinely used in the treatment of osteoporosis in patients without cancer, and has been used to help patients whose cancers have spread to the bone. More...

The news just released that Elizabeth Edwards passed away this afternoon is sad for many, and our thoughts and prayers are with her family in their time of need.

As I have reflected on many times in this blog and in public comments, having cancer while living in public view is an especially difficult situation.  It was even more so for Ms. Edwards, as she had to contend with family issues that were the topic of intense public interest.

Through her journey, Ms. Edwards displayed courage and transparency about her illness, reminding women about the importance of getting screening mammograms and facing the news that her cancer had spread to her bones in a manner that showed the nation cancer is not something to hide or shy away from sharing. More...

A study released early this evening in the medical journal The Lancet is going to create another discussion about the possible role of chronic aspirin use in the prevention of cancer.   And I suspect it is also going to raise a flurry of questions from some quarters about the type of evidence we need to have in order to feel comfortable with making potentially life-saving recommendations to millions of people around the world.

For me, it makes me wonder how we are ever going to answer the questions that we have to answer about the prevention of cancer, especially when it comes to readily available, reasonably inexpensive over-the-counter medicines and vitamins such as aspirin and vitamin D.

We should never forget that the story is as much about the quality of evidence and the risk of harm as it is about the inevitable headlines that this or that something or other is going to prevent cancer. More...

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was a happy one, and that you are looking forward to a pleasant December.  But vigilance about your health is not taking a holiday, as two new releases yesterday--one in a medical journal and the other from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--are bound to make you think twice about that extra helping of stuffing you ate while enjoying your Thanksgiving meal.

The first report is in today's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, and written by a number of authors--including a colleague of mine from the American Cancer Society, Dr. Michael Thun--who examined the interminable question of whether or not being overweight as well as being obese can impact how long you will live. 

This article will give the boot to the old adage that you can never be too rich or too thin.  The scientists don't say anything about being too rich--we will have to leave that one to the psychologists to answer--but they do suggest that in fact you can be too thin.

The other report, from the United States Department of Health and Human Services offers statistics on the rate of obesity in the United States today, and sets goals for what we can accomplish in reducing those rates over the next decade. More...