text_1: UAB Recruiting for Clinical Trial to Determine Therapies for Eradication of Multiple Myeloma –University of Alabama at Birmingham
text_2: This news release about a test of combination drug therapy in people newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma blood cancer slathers on hopes and promises, while neglecting caveats, potential harms and essential context. The release neglects to point out that even after this phase 2 trial has been completed, researchers won’t know if the experimental drug cocktail is better or worse than standard treatments, because it does not include any direct comparison. The release puffs up the threat of multiple myeloma, which accounts for less than 2 percent of cancer cases in the US. It does not explain that patients would be responsible for many of the costs of this treatment, in part because of overlaps with standard care. The release does report support from pharmaceutical companies that make two of the drugs to be used. The lead investigator of this trial, Luciano Costa, MD, gave an interview in which he clearly pointed out much of the important information that is missing from the news release. The interview shows that the researchers are aware of the limitations of the evidence and of their trial. Costa pointed out that patients considering enrolling would be responsible for a share of the costs of treatment. Researchers have a responsibility to ensure that news releases issued about their work give readers a fair summary, not the kind of rosy depiction in this release. It’s also important to point out that this is a phase 2 trial, which identifies safety and effectiveness of a treatment. The primary endpoint is a surrogate that is not clearly associated with overall survival for this disease.