text_1: In Early Trial, Targeted Therapy Fights Advanced Melanoma
text_2: Importantly, it was the only story to explain that we don’t yet know whether the new drug prolongs the survival of patients with metastatic melanoma. Somewhat surprisingly given the story’s attention to these details, it failed to describe or make any attempt to quantify the potential harms of the new drug, which are not trivial. It also allowed an expert to extol the benefits of screening for skin cancer prevention when this approach is not clearly supported by the evidence. Messages promoting cancer screening are ubiquitous but not always evidence based. As one of our reviewers completed his work, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is urging women not to be afraid of false-positive mammograms during the halftime of a preseason football game. Journalists need to counter this knee-jerk advocacy with sober and balanced discussion of the benefits and risks.