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What the Doctor Didn't Say: The Hidden Truth about Medical Research
Millions of people each year decide to participate in clinical trials--medical research studies involving an innovative treatment for a medical problem. For the patient, such participation can sometimes be a life-saving choice. But it can also be just the opposite. Our country years ago adopted rules designed to assure that people are making informed choices about participation. This book explains the reality behind those that our current system of clinical trials hides much of the information patients need to make the right choices.
Witness the following
-Hundreds of patients with colon cancer undergo a new form of keyhole surgery at leading cancer centers--never being told that 85% of colorectal surgeons, worried that it increases the risk of the cancer returning, would not themselves undergo that procedure.
-Tens of thousands of women at high risk of developing breast cancer are asked to participate in a major research study. They are told about the option of having both breasts surgically removed--but not told about the option of taking a standard osteoporosis pill that might cut the risk of getting breast cancer by one-half or more.
What The Doctor Didn't Say , principally written by a nationally prominent expert, is the first book to reveal many heretofore hidden aspects about the true nature of participation in clinical trials. It shows why options not commonly known--including getting a new treatment outside of a research study--can often be the best choice. It explains how patients can make good decisions even if there is only limited information about a treatment's effect. And it does this through the eye-opening stories of what is happening daily to thousands of people.
This book ends up confronting the fundamental dilemma of medical Participation in clinical trials plays a vital role in advancing knowledge, and many experts fear that if the information provided herein became widely known, fewer people would participate. But the authors demonstrate that there is no need to deceive people into participating in research. We can have a system that promotes participation while still providing truthful information to participants.
Witness the following
-Hundreds of patients with colon cancer undergo a new form of keyhole surgery at leading cancer centers--never being told that 85% of colorectal surgeons, worried that it increases the risk of the cancer returning, would not themselves undergo that procedure.
-Tens of thousands of women at high risk of developing breast cancer are asked to participate in a major research study. They are told about the option of having both breasts surgically removed--but not told about the option of taking a standard osteoporosis pill that might cut the risk of getting breast cancer by one-half or more.
What The Doctor Didn't Say , principally written by a nationally prominent expert, is the first book to reveal many heretofore hidden aspects about the true nature of participation in clinical trials. It shows why options not commonly known--including getting a new treatment outside of a research study--can often be the best choice. It explains how patients can make good decisions even if there is only limited information about a treatment's effect. And it does this through the eye-opening stories of what is happening daily to thousands of people.
This book ends up confronting the fundamental dilemma of medical Participation in clinical trials plays a vital role in advancing knowledge, and many experts fear that if the information provided herein became widely known, fewer people would participate. But the authors demonstrate that there is no need to deceive people into participating in research. We can have a system that promotes participation while still providing truthful information to participants.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published August 24, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 6, 2015
Star Rating Art: 3.5 Stars
Star Rating Story: 3.5 Stars
Netgalley Review.
First Impression: Not bad, not bad at all.
I think I requested and received all of the Death in the family series. I had to take a break from them since they were a bit similar. I don���t like starting new things on a friday (as I start making notes while I read) because I usually don���t have time to read on the weekends. The first 31 pages (yes, 31) are all repeat story line from the other various Death in the Family. I don���t know the history or origins of Nightwing so you���ll have to forgive me if I get confused or don���t seem to know something I should. The ending is a cliffhanger, but I don���t know if I���m going to want to follow up since normally I have a very limited amount of reading time. But if you are a Nightwing fan, then you���ll probably like this more than I did.
Art/Colors: Having a hard time viewing the quality of the art because the digital copy seems pretty blurry.
Characters: Alfred drawn oddly in this volume.
Warnings: Dark and graphic.
Star Rating Story: 3.5 Stars
Netgalley Review.
First Impression: Not bad, not bad at all.
I think I requested and received all of the Death in the family series. I had to take a break from them since they were a bit similar. I don���t like starting new things on a friday (as I start making notes while I read) because I usually don���t have time to read on the weekends. The first 31 pages (yes, 31) are all repeat story line from the other various Death in the Family. I don���t know the history or origins of Nightwing so you���ll have to forgive me if I get confused or don���t seem to know something I should. The ending is a cliffhanger, but I don���t know if I���m going to want to follow up since normally I have a very limited amount of reading time. But if you are a Nightwing fan, then you���ll probably like this more than I did.
Art/Colors: Having a hard time viewing the quality of the art because the digital copy seems pretty blurry.
Characters: Alfred drawn oddly in this volume.
Warnings: Dark and graphic.
March 26, 2007
This has been one of the best reading assignments I've ever had for a class. Menikoff is very clear and concise in his assessment of the current gaps in informed consent and human subjects research. It can get a bit dry in a few chapters, but the legal and ethical data is comparable to that of a journal, but it is extremely readable for the bioethics layman. Also, the case studies include the old classics as well and some very interesting new ones.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews