RT Journal Article
A1 Bach, Peter B.
T1 Late-Stage Cancer End Points to Speed Cancer Screening Clinical Trials—Not So Fast
JF JAMA
JO JAMA
YR 2024
DO 10.1001/jama.2024.5821
SN 0098-7484
AB In this issue of JAMA, Feng et al studied whether late-stage cancer (ie, stage III or stage IV cancer), rather than cancer-specific mortality, was an acceptable alternative end point in clinical trials of cancer screening. The authors analyzed 41 clinical trials conducted in Europe, North America, and Asia, combining the data overall and according to cancer type. They evaluated the association between incidence of stage III-IV cancer and cancer-specific mortality in and across the selected studies.To understand the importance of the study by Feng et al, consider the accepted rationale for cancer screening. Cancer is commonly fatal, and outcomes are better for patients diagnosed with early-stage cancer than for those diagnosed with late-stage cancer. Therefore, detecting cancer at an early stage, rather than a late stage, should presumably save lives.
RD 5/20/2024
UL https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.5821