Reporting on Scientific Journal Articles

Jeremy Moore, M.A.Senior Manager, Science CommunicationsAmerican Association for Cancer Research

jeremy.moore@aacr.org

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?

• Number 1 cause of death, surpassing heart disease in 2010

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?

• Number 1 cause of death, surpassing heart disease in 2010

• In the United States, it affects one in three women and one in two men

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?

• Number 1 cause of death, surpassing heart disease in 2010

• In the United States, it affects one in three women and one in two men

• Consequences both biological and psychological

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?

• Money

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?

• Money• Government Money

– NCI Budget, 2009: $4.96 billion– NCI Budget, 2010: $5.1 billion

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?

• Money• Government Money

– NCI Budget, 2009: $4.96 billion– NCI Budget, 2010: $5.1 billion

Budget Request for 2011

$5.26 Billion

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?

• Money• Private Money

Why is Cancer Newsworthy?

• Money• Private Money• Corporate and Philanthropic

Scientific Inquiry

“In fact I have not failed 1,000 times.

I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways not to make a light

bulb.”--Thomas Edison

Scientific Inquiry

• Cancer

Scientific Inquiry

• Cancer• Out of control cell growth

Scientific Inquiry

• Cancer• Out of control cell growth• More than 200 diseases

Cancer

CURE?

Cancer

CUREvs.

CONTROL

Cancer: The Scientific Questions

• Diagnosis

Diagnosis

• Bladder Cancer• Pancreatic Cancer• Ovarian Cancer

• Breast Cancer• Colon Cancer• Skin Cancer

Cancer: The Scientific Questions

• Diagnosis• Screening

Screening

• Questions surrounding PSA, Mammography, Colonoscopy

Sensitivity vs. Specificity

Sensitivity• Correctly Identifying

Who Is Sick

Specificity• Correctly Identifying

Who Is Not Sick

MicroRNA

“The discovery of MicroRNA can be equated with the idea that we’ve known for years

that cars existed and only recently discovered they have a transmission. It’s

that fundamental.”Philip Sharp, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate from

M.I.T.

MicroRNA News from Annual Meeting 2010

• miR-21 and miR-106a are associated with an overall poor prognosis and that overexpressions of miR-181b and miR-203 are associated with poor outcomes in blacks for colorectal cancer

• MicroRNA-31 (miR-31) repressed specific tumor suppressors and, therefore, may be a novel pharmacologic target for lung cancer therapy and chemoprevention.

MicroRNA News from Annual Meeting 2010

• High levels of miR-21 were significantly correlated with poor response to Herceptin.

DNA Methylation Levels

Cancer: The Scientific Questions

• Diagnosis• Screening• Personalized Medicine

Personalized Medicine

Cancer: The Scientific Questions

• Diagnosis• Screening• Personalized Medicine• Prevention

Prevention

“At least half of all cancer deaths are preventable by what we already know

about healthy eating, exercise, maintaining appropriate weight, avoiding

smoking and going for regular screenings.” Ernest T. Hawk, M.D., M.P.H.

Vice President of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer

Center.

Prevention

• Healthy Living

Prevention

• Healthy Living• Chemoprevention

Prevention

Scientific Inquiry

75 Clinical Trials&

11 Systematic ReviewsAre Being Published Every Single Day

Bastian H, Glaszio P, Chalmers I, et al. (2010). Seventy-Five Trials and Eleven Systematic Reviews a Day: How Will We Ever Keep Up? PLOS Med 7 (9): e1000326. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000326.

Journals to Watch

• New England Journal of Medicine

Journals to Watch

• New England Journal of Medicine• Journal of the American Medical

Association

Journals to Watch

• New England Journal of Medicine• Journal of the American Medical

Association• Cancer

Journals to Watch

• New England Journal of Medicine• Journal of the American Medical

Association• Cancer• Journal of Clinical Oncology

Journals to Watch

• Cancer Research

Journals to Watch

• Cancer Research• Clinical Cancer Research

Journals to Watch

• Cancer Research• Clinical Cancer Research• Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &

Prevention

Journals to Watch

• Cancer Research• Clinical Cancer Research• Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &

Prevention• Cancer Prevention Research

Journals to Watch

• Cancer Research• Clinical Cancer Research• Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &

Prevention• Cancer Prevention Research• Molecular Cancer Research• Molecular Cancer Therapeutics

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY– Officially announcing next week

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY– Officially announcing next week– Editors in Chief, Jose Baselga, M.D, Ph.D. and

Lewis Cantley, Ph.D.

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY– Officially announcing next week– Editors in Chief, Jose Baselga, M.D., Ph.D., and

Lewis Cantley, Ph.D.– Will be the premier venue for the publication

and broad dissemination of high impact research in all areas of cancer research

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY– Officially announcing next week– Editors in Chief, Jose Baselga, M.D., Ph.D., and

Lewis Cantley, Ph.D.– Will be the premier venue for the publication

and broad dissemination of high-impact research in all areas of cancer research.

– First papers will be published online April 2011

NEWS FLASH

•CANCER DISCOVERY– Officially announcing next week– Editors in Chief, Jose Baselga, M.D., Ph.D., and

Lewis Cantley, Ph.D.– Will be the premier venue for the publication

and broad dissemination of high-impact research in all areas of cancer research

– First papers will be published online April 2011– In Print July 2011

THE ANATOMY OF AN ABSTRACT

• Conclusions, not titles

THE ANATOMY OF AN ABSTRACT

• Conclusions, not titles• Goals

THE ANATOMY OF AN ABSTRACT

• Conclusions, not titles• Goals• Population Samples

THE ANATOMY OF AN ABSTRACT

• Statistics– P Values, anything less than .05 is significant

THE ANATOMY OF AN ABSTRACT

• Statistics– P Values, anything less than .05 is significant– Hazard Ratios– HR=1.23, 95% CI, 1.05-1.10

THE ANATOMY OF AN ABSTRACT

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KEEP IN TOUCH

Jeremy MooreSenior Manager, Science Communications

Office: 267-646-0557Cell: 609-519-0212

jeremy.moore@aacr.org

THANK YOU