Tag: clinical trials
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Can acute COVID-19 awaken dormant cancer cells?
Yes, according to this study, which was the talk of the summer. In short: In mice experimental lung infection with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza reactivated dormant breast cancer cells, rapidly leading to metastatic disease accompanied by an inflammatory response resembling acute COVID-19 infection in humans. And when translated from mice to…
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Solving the small crappy trial problem
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) yield the strongest evidence to inform medical practice. Each year, more than 40,000 new RCTs are registered, and some have estimated that they cost more than 80 billion US dollars. Yet RCTs are remarkably inefficient.
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How to change RCT-based “definitive” practice
Randomised controlled trials (RCT) provide the highest level of evidence. But what to do if a disease changes? Only a new RCT can provide sufficient evidence to change the associated RCT-based practice.
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Is the clinical trials enterprise broken?
Last week, I had the privilege to attend JAMA’s first ever summit in which two questions were addressed: ‘Is the clinical trials enterprise broken?’ and ‘How can it be fixed?’. The first question is rhetorical.