Reporting on Scientific Journal Articles

Reporting on Scientific Journal Articles

Jeremy Moore, M.A.Senior Manager, Science CommunicationsAmerican Association for Cancer Research

[email protected]

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?


• Number 1 cause of death, surpassing heart disease in 2010



• In the United States, it affects one in three women and one in two men



• In the United States, it affects one in three women and one in two men

• Consequences both biological and psychological


• Money


• Money• Government Money

– NCI Budget, 2009: $4.96 billion– NCI Budget, 2010: $5.1 billion


• Money• Government Money

– NCI Budget, 2009: $4.96 billion– NCI Budget, 2010: $5.1 billion

Budget Request for 2011

$5.26 Billion


• Money• Private Money


• Money• Private Money• Corporate and Philanthropic

Scientific Inquiry

“In fact I have not failed 1,000 times.

I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways not to make a light

bulb.”--Thomas Edison

Scientific Inquiry

• Cancer

Scientific Inquiry

• Cancer• Out of control cell growth

Scientific Inquiry

• Cancer• Out of control cell growth• More than 200 diseases

Cancer

CURE?

Cancer

CUREvs.

CONTROL

Cancer: The Scientific Questions

• Diagnosis

Diagnosis

• Bladder Cancer• Pancreatic Cancer• Ovarian Cancer

• Breast Cancer• Colon Cancer• Skin Cancer


• Diagnosis• Screening

Screening

• Questions surrounding PSA, Mammography, Colonoscopy

Sensitivity vs. Specificity

Sensitivity• Correctly Identifying

Who Is Sick

Specificity• Correctly Identifying

Who Is Not Sick

MicroRNA

“The discovery of MicroRNA can be equated with the idea that we’ve known for years

that cars existed and only recently discovered they have a transmission. It’s

that fundamental.”Philip Sharp, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate from

M.I.T.

MicroRNA News from Annual Meeting 2010

• miR-21 and miR-106a are associated with an overall poor prognosis and that overexpressions of miR-181b and miR-203 are associated with poor outcomes in blacks for colorectal cancer

• MicroRNA-31 (miR-31) repressed specific tumor suppressors and, therefore, may be a novel pharmacologic target for lung cancer therapy and chemoprevention.

MicroRNA News from Annual Meeting 2010

• High levels of miR-21 were significantly correlated with poor response to Herceptin.

DNA Methylation Levels


• Diagnosis• Screening• Personalized Medicine

Personalized Medicine


• Diagnosis• Screening• Personalized Medicine• Prevention

Prevention

“At least half of all cancer deaths are preventable by what we already know

about healthy eating, exercise, maintaining appropriate weight, avoiding

smoking and going for regular screenings.” Ernest T. Hawk, M.D., M.P.H.

Vice President of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer

Center.

Prevention

• Healthy Living

Prevention

• Healthy Living• Chemoprevention

Prevention

Scientific Inquiry

75 Clinical Trials&

11 Systematic ReviewsAre Being Published Every Single Day

Bastian H, Glaszio P, Chalmers I, et al. (2010). Seventy-Five Trials and Eleven Systematic Reviews a Day: How Will We Ever Keep Up? PLOS Med 7 (9): e1000326. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000326.

Journals to Watch

• New England Journal of Medicine

Journals to Watch

• New England Journal of Medicine• Journal of the American Medical

Association

Journals to Watch


Association• Cancer

Journals to Watch


Association• Cancer• Journal of Clinical Oncology

Journals to Watch

• Cancer Research

Journals to Watch

• Cancer Research• Clinical Cancer Research

Journals to Watch

• Cancer Research• Clinical Cancer Research• Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &

Prevention

Journals to Watch


Prevention• Cancer Prevention Research

Journals to Watch


Prevention• Cancer Prevention Research• Molecular Cancer Research• Molecular Cancer Therapeutics

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY– Officially announcing next week

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY– Officially announcing next week– Editors in Chief, Jose Baselga, M.D, Ph.D. and

Lewis Cantley, Ph.D.

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY– Officially announcing next week– Editors in Chief, Jose Baselga, M.D., Ph.D., and

Lewis Cantley, Ph.D.– Will be the premier venue for the publication

and broad dissemination of high impact research in all areas of cancer research

NEWS FLASH



and broad dissemination of high-impact research in all areas of cancer research.

– First papers will be published online April 2011

NEWS FLASH



and broad dissemination of high-impact research in all areas of cancer research

– First papers will be published online April 2011– In Print July 2011

THE ANATOMY OF AN ABSTRACT

• Conclusions, not titles


• Conclusions, not titles• Goals


• Conclusions, not titles• Goals• Population Samples


• Statistics– P Values, anything less than .05 is significant


• Statistics– P Values, anything less than .05 is significant– Hazard Ratios– HR=1.23, 95% CI, 1.05-1.10


FOLLOW THE NEWS

• Subscribe to Newswise• Check Eurekalert

FOLLOW THE NEWS

• Subscribe to Newswise• Check Eurekalert• Find a PR Person you trust

KEEP IN TOUCH

Jeremy MooreSenior Manager, Science Communications

Office: 267-646-0557Cell: 609-519-0212

[email protected]

THANK YOU

Documents

Reporting on Scientific Journal Articles