Most oncology physicians and nurses do not share the results of clinical trials with their patients who are participants, even though they believe that their patients want the results and that routinely offering results would not have a negative effect on patients.

To examine the issue, Ann H. Partridge, M.D., M.P.H., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues surveyed oncology clinicians, including physicians and nurses, to discover their attitudes about disseminating results to clinical trial participants and whether they ever do so.

Although 80% of those who responded to the survey indicated that trial results should be offered to patients in the trials and 72% indicated that their patients wanted to know the results of the trial, 62% responded that they offer trial results to patients less than one-fifth of the time. The top three concerns responders had about offering trial results to patients were the potential negative effect on the patient, that the patient may have difficulty in interpreting the results, and consumption of resources, including time and money. Of concern, about 15% of responders believed that an obligation to offer study results to participants would make them less likely to enroll patients in studies.

Contact: Bill Schaller, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, (617)632-5357, William_schaller@dfci.harvard.edu

Tamoxifen Use Associated With Lower Breast Density

A new study demonstrates that tamoxifen treatment is associated with a reduction in mammographic breast density, an effect particularly pronounced in women aged 45 years and younger. Increased mammographic breast density has been identified as a risk factor for breast cancer.

Tamoxifen has been shown to lower the risk of breast cancer in high-risk women, but the drug's effect on breas
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Contact: Sarah L. Zielinski
jncimedia@oupjournals.org
301-841-1287
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
20-Apr-2004