It is not uncommon to see headlines in the media making all sorts of proclamations about what causes cancer or how it is cured. However, often when you have clicked on the article you find the research was poorly designed or not of a scale large enough to support such outlandish conclusions. So how does The Follicular Lymphoma Foundation cut through unrealistic claims and decide what research news we should share with the wider community?
In our upcoming “Science Simplified” series, we’ll be sharing insights from the latest research presented to us at the American Society of Hematology(ASH) conference. But before we explore that in detail, it is important to explain how we, and you, can read research critically.
Whether we’re sitting in conference presentations or reading a newly published study, we apply the same rigorous framework:
1. Is the science solid? We examine how many patients were studied, whether proper control groups (a group standard treatment or a placebo to compare against a new treatment) were used, and if experiments were replicated successfully. For example, if research is published about a new treatment; we look at the number of patients in the trial, how long patients stayed well for after treatment and whether results were consistent across different trials.
2. Who conducted the research? We verify that findings come from reputable institutions and established FL experts. We check if studies have been peer-reviewed,meaning other scientists have vetted the work before publication.
3. What are the limitations? Good researchers don’t just talk about what their research tells us; they are honest about what their studies cannot prove. Researchers often talk about limitations like study design, the number of people participating or participants’ demographics and they often note what further research should be undertaken.
4. How does this fit the bigger picture? No single study tells the whole story. We synthesize information across multiple presentations and employ experts who compare this to what they already know. When our Chief Medical Officer Dr Mitchell Smith attended ASH, he was able to compare the new research presented at ASH with his knowledge seeing patients in clinic and the thousands of other researcher articles he had already read.
From Data to Understanding: What You Need to Know
All research goes through ethical approval in the relevant country before it starts and it all adds to the wider knowledge that exists about FL. However, when researchers present at ASH, they use technical language, complex statistics, and detailed methodology. Our job is to translate that into actionable information, that is easy to understand while maintaining scientific accuracy.
Your Voice in the Science
All research goes through ethical approval in the relevant country before it starts and it all adds to the wider knowledge that exists about FL. However, when researchers present at ASH, they use technical language, complex statistics, and detailed methodology. Our job is to translate that into actionable information, that is easy to understand while maintaining scientific accuracy.
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Tell us what research news most interests you and what information you want about follicular lymphoma by taking our short survey now .
Acknowledgements
These articles are supported by sponsorship from AstraZeneca, Genmab, AbbVie, Ipsen and Incyte.
All of the above have had no influence on, control of, nor input into the development or content of any article
