A prime example of the problem with some TV physician-"journalists" - Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog (ASCO/ovarian cancer/Avastin) + my response

Note: my response:

"In our own ovarian cancer patient communities and over the long term, as survivours/family caregivers, many of us have learned to question media articles and abstracts. The SGO published a statement regarding the GOG 218 study shortly after the media events. 

In addition, on June 5th in Chicago on a separate ovarian cancer seminar the issue of the new finding of GOG 218 were discussed. The over-riding bottom line is that Avastin is not the panacea for all that ails ovarian cancer women and should be used very selectively. On which patients is of primary interest (obviously).

The issue at stake for ovarian cancer women is that no new treatments in the past 2 decades have shown any improvements over the standard and current first line therapy of Taxol and Carboplatin. 

No matter how bad it gets (QOL) and it does get very 'bad', ovarian cancer women want to live and will suffer much to do so. We need to understand this mindset while at the same time considering first most patient safety and always acknowledging the 'hype'. 

There is a duty for all those who care for ovarian cancer women to be informed.
Twitter, blogs, facebook and social media help also to educate patients on these issues - we hope."

JCO.2008 Progress in Cancer Care: The Hope, the Hype, and the Gap Between Reality and Perception

Progress in Cancer Care: The Hope,
the Hype, and the Gap Between Reality
and Perception

JCO.2008.17.6198v1.pdf (application/pdf Object)

abstract:

JCO Early Release, published online ahead of print Sep 15 2008
Journal of Clinical Oncology, 10.1200/JCO.2008.17.6198

Progress in Cancer Care: The Hope, the Hype, and the Gap Between Reality and Perception

Leonard B. Saltz

Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY