Cancer care urgently needs a real reform engine

Prior disclosure need not be a problem for journals

“…In their recent editorial in JRSM, Liz Wager and Kamran Abbasi boldly suggest that medical journal editors have 'deserted the moral high ground' in failing to welcome legal requirements for publicly accessible reporting of clinical trial results. 1,2 Trial researchers and sponsors may be interested to know of PLoS Medicine's policy on results disclosure. As set out in a recent editorial, 3 we and the other PLoS journals support public disclosure of results of all clinical trials; our guidelines to authors state that: 'Prior disclosure of results on a public website such as clinicaltrials.gov will not affect the decision to peer review or acceptance of papers in PLoS journals'.…”

“…With reference to the JRSM article 'Jacques{Louis David's tumour: an opportunity to study the natural history of a pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland' (JRSM 2008;101:583-6), 1 the authors describe the major salivary glands as the parotid and the submandibular omitting the sublingual gland. The traditional oral anatomy and embryology literature considers the sublingual gland as a major gland though it can have the secretion via the submandibular duct.…”

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We recently noted your editorial by Richard Smith et al concerning author conflict of interest statements. 1 We are concerned that it could be taken to imply that we failed to declare appropriately 'competing interests' that might have influenced our views in a recent PLOS Medicine debate on the role of the private sector. 2 We refute this suggestion and believe that it is essential to distinguish competing interests from the broad range of factors that influence and shape judgements about evidence -such as personal values and beliefs, professional and disciplinary training, et cetera.

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Salivary glands and malignancy in pleomorphic adenoma

“…Psychiatry and religion -not such an obscure parallel I applaud R Whitley for his thought-provoking essay. 1 Such comparisons are not so hard to understand as they may appear at first glance. All religions aim to help individuals at times of need, to act as comfort in good times and bad, and provide guidance (if not always direct help).…”

Cancer care

“…Bosanquet and Sikora 1 are rightly concerned about the cancer reform strategy, and I share their concerns, but to portray cancer as a chronic disease does not do justice to cancer survivors. Many of these are not living with active cancer, but with the adverse events caused by cancer treatment, some of them progressive (for instance, radiation damage), and their needs also should be met 2…”