Clinical Oncology News - The Concept of ‘Unrealistic Optimism’ In Early-Phase Trials (Markman) - Aug issue

"Oncologists may not be fully aware of a relatively new term introduced by ethicists to describe certain patients who agree to participate in early-phase cancer clinical trials. Some researchers believe that these individuals express unrealistic optimism, which apparently means that despite understanding the limited statistical probability of experiencing clinical benefit from a particular management plan, they have a strong belief regarding their own favorable outcome.1 These researchers apparently feel such optimism poses a serious problem, with one member of this community of scholars being quoted as remarking, “We just need to realize that not all optimism is ethically benign.”2...............For it would appear that those who support the concept of unrealistic optimism, or its sister term therapeutic misconception, have not kept up with the oncology literature dealing with early-phase clinical trials........cont'd