Article and Video CATEGORIES

Cancer Journey

Search By

Dr. Jack West is a medical oncologist and thoracic oncology specialist who is the Founder and previously served as President & CEO, currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education (GRACE)

 

Physician Researcher Discredited, Potential Implications for Lung Cancer Research
Author
Howard (Jack) West, MD

Lest we think that media-driven self-immolation is reserved only for people Like Mel Gibson and Lindsey Lohan, this week we saw a little more drama than we prefer to see in the world of medical research, touching quite close to home. Following a rather stunning article in the low budget but tenacious Cancer Letter (primarily read by cancer and pharma/biotechl industry insiders), the New York Times ran a more widely publicized story about a highly regarded young researcher from Duke, Dr. Anil Potti, who allegedly lied about his being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, and whose research on genetic signatures of lung cancer has recently been questioned after being published in the New England Journal of Medicine and several other very high-tier journals.

I know Anil, and he seems to be a good guy, but if the allegations are true, and it appears from the evidence, even if it's not the type of evidence we usually discuss here, then he went too far in the more common practice of "resume padding" that so many people do by exaggerating their experience a bit or calling their student role a "pre-doctoral fellowship". Not surprisingly, saying you won something as prestigious and verifiable as a Rhodes catches up with you, and his applications stopped mentioning this a few years ago, but it was too late. His reputation and the work he's done at Duke have all been discredited, his research suspended, and a payments from a large grant of $729,000 from the American Cancer Society have been suspended.

I'm highlighting this now not because I want to cover the more tawdry side of science and medicine, but because it's important to note that some work that we've discussed here, focusing on the Duke gene signature work on metagenes (see here and here, for example, but this work is mentioned in many discussions of post-operative therapy and genetic predictive and prognostic factors) may well be invalid. First, it's fair to question the integrity of the data produced by someone who misrepresented their past history. But in addition to the criticism of Dr. Potti's character, the complex statistical analyses that the metagene work is predicated upon has been criticized previously by a pair of statisticians from MD Anderson Cancer Center, as described in a prior article in the Cancer Letter.

Here's an example of why any research, whether it's work on a new drug from a biotech company or a natural medicine approach being advertised, needs to be studied and proven to be helpful from multiple places. Any one person or institution, even if they have a great reputation, could be found to have fallen prey to a desire for fame and money and do unscrupulous work. This is also why my bio only claims that I was a finalist in People's Sexiest Man Alive annual review. You can't get too greedy...

Next Previous link

Previous PostNext Post

Related Content

Article
Advance directives are a powerful way to take control of healthcare choices. These documents allow you to outline preferences for medical care and specify end-of-life wishes. These documents can also be a way to appoint loved ones who you would like to help with these decisions, such as a healthcare proxy (someone to make decisions on your behalf, if you cannot). As cancer treatments can involve aggressive treatments and/or complex medical management, having advance directives ensures that your desires regarding treatment options and end-of-life care are clearly communicated. 
Image
2024-25 patient perspectives header
Article
Tell your story and help us help others! Apply online now for this paid opportunity. This program gives a voice to those who have experience in participating in a clinical trial for a cancer diagnosis. Your voice helps to educate and advocate for others who are in or who may be considering a clinical trial.  We want to hear from you!
Image
Foro de Pacientes de Terapias Dirigidas de Cáncer de Pulmón
Video
¡El vídeo completo bajo demanda está disponible para verlo!

Forum Discussions

Hello Linda, my name is Alexandra Beneke, I'm the Outreach Manager for GRACE. Your willingness to share your experiences and knowledge with the cancer community is truly inspiring. Your dedication to...

Hi Bluebird,  Welcome to GRACE.  I'm sorry you're going through this scare and hope it's just inflammation or from an infection you didn't know you had. 

 

A CT would be...

Radiation + Brain Operation has just been discarded due to high risk. They will double Tagrisso dosis and then wait to see if it works, then try traditional Chemo. I would...

Hi and welcome to GRACE.  I'm sorry to know you are entering a new stage.  I'm not about to comment just now but wanted to let you know I see your...

Edit to say, we can't give advice but we can comment with views and facts.  :)

 

My first thought is to ask if she has been seen at a large...

Hi Barbro, Welcome to GRACE. I'm sorry you're worrying about this. We aren't able to give feedback on scan reports. Interpreting scan reports in this setting is not only unethical but...

Recent Comments

JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Tagrix FDA Approval
By mariachristian on
Hi Judy! It is so good to…
By JanineT GRACE … on
Tagrix vs Tagrisso
By Dipakchavan on
Hello Linda, my name is…
By AlexandraGBeneke on