In October 2006, DOTmed News reported on a promising study in the New England Journal of Medicine that suggested that CT scans of the lungs of smokers might be effective in spotting cancer in time for treatment. We wondered, should CT screening be widely adopted as a preventive measure?

But this week, The New York Times reports that the study was funded by a cigarette maker, calling its motives and findings into question.

The research was conducted by Weill Cornell Medical College and paid for by an unrestricted educational grant from what appeared to be charitable organizations. However, the Foundation for Lung Cancer is really funded by cigarette maker the Liggett Group.
The medical community is outraged that the funding was not clearly disclosed and that the motivation for the cigarette industry might be to downplay the mortality of the nation's number one cancer killer by suggesting lung cancer is readily detectable and treatable.

ABC News has also reported that the researchers received royalties and had a financial interest in the CT and biopsy technologies used in the study, further impugning the objectivity of the science. What's more, a dean of the college is on the foundation's board.

Federal cutbacks to scientific research have driven investigators to seek alternative funding sources in recent years. Another research project by the National Cancer Institute is now underway to compare screened versus non-screened patients to assess the value of CT scanning as a lung cancer detection tool in asymptomatic patients.

Read previous coverage from 2006 with informative links at:
www.dotmed.com/news/story/2780 and
www.dotmed.com/news/story/2752

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