text_1: Gene therapy shown to destroy leukemia tumors
text_2: Reuters fell a little short in comparison to WebMD in writing about a very small but promising study into a new treatment for the most prevalent form of leukemia. The story did a solid job explaining the findings, but it touched too lightly on the side effects of the treatment and the hard road ahead to find a clinical application. We give Reuters high marks, though, for finding an outside expert who could temper some of the enthusiasm found in quotes from the authors in both this story and the WebMD piece. We also like that Reuters at least raised the issue of costs. As both stories note, researchers have been trying to find a way to use genetically engineered cells to fight cancer for 20 years, making even a small study like this interesting news. Both stories sounded some cautionary notes, but Reuters could have more thoroughly shown that the study’s results were promising but not proof that a cure for leukemia is within sight.