The president and the scientific secretary of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology regret the dissemination in the media of an experiment that has no medical value.
News about a new treatment for the most aggressive subtype of cancer or a new technique for early cancer diagnosis through a simple and harmless test periodically creates a significant media stir and great societal anticipation. As a society, we crave positive news about cancer advancements as we all are, directly or indirectly, linked to this disease. However, many of these news stories stray from reality, or at least from the current or near future reality. Recently, there’s been news about a saliva test that could diagnose breast cancer, even suggesting it could replace mammography as a screening technique, which has proven to reduce breast cancer mortality in substantial and rigorous clinical trials. This news has made a considerable media impact, but as with many other cases, the actual scientific impact of this supposed advance is limited to date. In this particular case, it refers to a device that detects a tumor marker in saliva with high sensitivity. It’s important to note that the determination of tumor markers has not proven to be a valid strategy for breast cancer screening or diagnosis, and this study was conducted on 17 patients. Any advancement in diagnostic techniques or treatments requires a long and rigorous process of clinical trials involving hundreds or thousands of patients to verify its safety and efficacy. This news is just one more example of the many stories shared annually about curing or diagnosing cancer. Often, they talk about «miraculous» cancer therapies, which upon analysis are preclinical phase results, in cell lines or mice, or in a very limited number of patients. While some of these therapies may end up making headlines, it’s essential to be aware that many of these promising therapies unfortunately do not reach satisfactory clinical development, failing to achieve significant benefits in clinical trials or due to a toxicity profile that limits their use. Therefore, the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology insists on the need to cautiously evaluate such news and calls for responsibility before disseminating them, carefully analyzing their validity and scientific evidence. Sensationalistic news detached from reality can have a negative impact on cancer patients and their families, a particularly vulnerable population, where it can create false expectations, increase anxiety or, in the worst cases, steer them away from diagnostic techniques like mammograms or treatments that have solid scientific evidence. Dr. César A. Rodríguez is the president of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), and Dr. Isabel Echavarría is the scientific secretary of SEOM.
