Hope Versus Hype
Fake News You Can Use
The Ancient History of Myeloma
Data Stream
Hope Versus Hype
People living with chronic medical conditions place their hope in investigative treatments that show early positive results , but a review published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests that many of these results are grossly exaggerated .
Researchers examined 930 randomized clinical trials evaluating a drug or device between January 2007 and June 2015 . They found that
37 % of trials exaggerated early results , demonstrating an effect size larger than
that observed in subsequent trials .
37 %
This over-hyped effect size was evident in all types and sizes of trials . “ Physicians and patients should be cautious about new or early clinical trial evidence ,” lead author Fares Alahdab , MD , said . “ Exaggerated results could lead to false hope as well as possibly harmful effects .”
Source : Alahdab F , Farah W , Almasri J , et al . Treatment effect in earlier trials of patients with chronic medical conditions : a meta-epidemiologic study . Mayo Clin Proc . 2018 ; 93:278-83 .
Fake News You Can Use
Millions of people turn to social media for news about scientific discoveries , but , according to an analysis from the Pew Research Center , they may want to look elsewhere .
Looking at more than 130,000 posts from 30 science-related Facebook pages over a 6-month period , analysts found :
Only about 3 in 10 posts
( or 29 % ) actually feature new scientific discoveries
16 % feature ads or promotions .
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
The Ancient History of Myeloma
Myeloma appears to be one of the oldest diseases recorded , according to CT scans of two near-flawlessly preserved mummies in a necropolis in Aswan , Egypt . Anthropologists found evidence of myeloma cells in a mummy dating back to 1800 B . C . and evidence of breast cancer in a mummy dating back to 2000 B . C .
Source : University of Granada press release , December 20 , 2017 .
The other types of posts include practical applications of science information ( 21 %) or other types of content , like explanations of concepts or archived reposts ( 34 %).
“ As concerns about public understanding and acceptance of scientific evidence have increased over the past few years ,” the authors noted , “ this analysis provides a window into the sources of information that – while [ differing ] from consensus views in the scientific community – have , nonetheless , attracted millions of followers .”
Source : Pew Research Center , “ The Science People See on Social Media ,” March 21 , 2018 .
28 ASH Clinical News July 2018