CORRESPONDENCE

Re: Vitamin A Analogue for Breast Cancer Prevention: a Grade of F or Incomplete?

Frank L. Meyskens, Jr.

Correspondence to: Frank L. Meyskens Jr., M.D., Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, 101 The City Drive South, Rt. 81, Bldg. 23, Rm. 403, Orange, CA 92868-3298.

Both the report on the "Randomized Trial of Fenretinide to Prevent Second Breast Malignancy in Women With Early Breast Cancer" and the accompanying editorial impressed me as thoughtful presentations and discussions of the complex results reported (1,2). Why then the sensationalist title for the editorial? If this title was the one chosen by the editorialists, the Journal should have insisted on a more objective title. If the title was selected by the Journal, then shame on the Journal. Certainly the dismissal by the media of this trial as a poorly done study serves no one well. Doing clinical research is hard enough without our most cited (best ?) journal in cancer research resorting to "yellow journalism."

REFERENCES

1 Veronesi U, De Palo G, Marubini E, Costa A, Formelli F, Mariani L, et al. Randomized trial of fenretinide to prevent second breast malignancy in women with early breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1999;91:1847-56.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

2 Piantadosi S. Vitamin A Analogue for breast cancer prevention: a grade of F or incomplete? [editorial]. J Natl Cancer Inst 1999;91:1794.[Free Full Text]



             
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