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B. A. Feinberg, DO
Tucker, Ga

JAMA. 1989;261(5):695.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

On May 16, 1988, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) released a media statement in conjunction with a letter to 13 000 cancer specialists regarding new recommendations on adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. The letter, entitled "NCI Clinical Alert Urgent," heralds a major change in longstanding policy, recommending adjuvant systemic therapy for node-negative breast cancer.¹

The unorthodox method by which this information was disseminated has been explained as an effort to reach physicians quickly rather than waiting months for the data from the three referenced studies to be published. However, the NCI was unusually quiet in releasing the information to the public, choosing to rely on a mailed press release rather than a formal news conference. Furthermore, the mailing to cancer specialists disregards the fact that most women with node-negative breast cancer are evaluated solely by their primary care physician and general surgeon.

There are several inconsistencies . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes
Edited by Drummond Rennie, MD, Deputy Editor (West); Sharon Iverson, Assistant Editor.

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