text_1: FDA approves cancer treatment that uses virus to attack tumors
text_2: The federal Food and Drug Administration has just approved a modified herpes simplex virus as a treatment for advanced-stage melanoma. The virus, which is designed to activate patients’ own immune systems, has been shown to shrink tumors for at least six months in patients who have run out of treatment options. This story does a nice job of explaining the way the virus works and offers readers reactions from a variety of scientists. Clearly a lot of legwork went into this story. But we were disappointed to see that none of these sources provided any critical evaluation of the research or pointed to any caveats — of which there are quite a few. In addition, while the piece’s patient stories don’t overdo the “good news” aspect of the treatment, we wished for more data and a more thorough discussion of the ultimate outcomes that matter to patients such as survival time. Newer and experimental treatments for malignant melanoma have changed the uniformly poor outcome for this cancer. But the legitimate excitement surrounding these treatments must be tempered with acknowledgment that the benefits are limited and not everyone benefits. The treatments are very costly and can still cause significant harm to patients.