Re: Dov's recent comments on Cancer deficiency.

[John Cameron <jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu>]

>Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 09:17:49 -0500

>>  Dov Brickner <brickner@zahav.net.il>  wrote: I didn't claim that's 

>>the way it should be. I think that every research in rad 

>>epidemiology from the 90's should be designed to consider the 

>>possibility of reduced cancer incidence. I don't recall any study 

>>that was

>>designed that way but I have not read them all.

>>

>	I don't think it is so important that they be designed to 

>look for risks AND benefits. In research you don't know what you are 

>going to find.  The benefits should not be restricted to reduced 

>cancer. What is important is that when you find benefits, the 

>results should be published, making clear that there were benefits.

>	For example, The nuclear shipyard worker study NSWS 

>(Matanoski Final Report 1991) did not mention the health benefits in 

>the narrative of the report. One had to study the data to see the 

>significant reductions in cancer mortality AND even greater 

>reduction in death rates from all causes.  The greatest fault was 

>not to publish the study in the open literature where other 

>scientists and news reporters could read it. An article on the NSWS 

>was submitted to Health Physics last week by Ruth Sponsler and me. 

>That article should have been submitted to a refereed journal at 

>least 12 years ago by the PI. Another serious fault of the NSWS was 

>the absence of  any mention of the beneficial results in the 

>narrative of the Final Report. The reader had to dig the good news 

>out of the data. Such behavior should be considered unethical, 

>according to Prof. Norm Fost a medical ethicist at U. of Wis.

>	Another example of not mentioning the good news is the "100 

>years of British radiologists ... " article.  The data clearly shows 

>health benefits in significantly reduced deaths from non-cancer but 

>the authors deny the benefits in the last sentence of the abstract 

>and the last sentence of the article. When The Lancet commented on 

>the article in their Aug. 27 issue last year, the writer had 

>obviously not studied the data.  My letter to the editor of BJR 

>points out the "good news" of reduced cancer AND greatly reduced 

>deaths from all causes. I hope that The Lancet takes note of the 

>good news and publishes another commentary to replace their 

>commentary last Aug. 27 which indicated no good news.

>	I agree that all studies should be planned to look for 

>significant results, whether good or bad. When an article has 

>important news which are not mentioned then we must point out the 

>news as I have attempted to do. There is too much emphasis on 

>reduced cancer. The real good news in both the NSWS and British 

>radiologists study is improved health, probably from stimulation of 

>the immune system.

>	I wrote Sir Richard Doll (the eminent British epidemiologist 

>and last author on the British radiologists study) asking him to 

>encourage The Lancet to comment on the good news shown in my letter 

>to BJR. The Lancet did not replied to my two earlier  messages which 

>included a copy of my letter to BJR asking them to correct their 

>misleading commentary of last August.

>	It isn't just a matter of publishing the good news, there is 

>a need to  publicize the good news. Letters to the editor of Science 

>might help. Any other ideas?

>Best wishes, John

>PS If anyone wants an e-copy of either the NSWS article or my letter 

>to BJR send an e-mail request to me at jrcamero@wisc.edu.







>



-- 

John R. Cameron (jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu)

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