Patient Perceptions in a Nonblinded Randomized Trial of Radiation Therapy Technologies: A Novel Survey Study Exploring Therapeutic Misconception.

Purpose: Therapeutic misconception is the tendency for a clinical trial participant to overlook the scientific objective of a clinical trial and instead believe that an experimental intervention is intended for personal therapeutic benefit. We sought to evaluate this tendency in the setting of a clinical trial of a new radiation therapy technology.

Methods: Patients with left-sided, node positive breast cancer enrolled in a randomized clinical trial evaluating intensity modulated radiation therapy with deep inspiration breath hold (IMRT-DIBH) versus 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT).

Investigation of the effects of treatment planning variables in small animal radiotherapy dose distributions.

Purpose: Methods used for small animal radiation treatment have yet to achieve the same dose targeting as in clinical radiation therapy. Toward understanding how to better plan small animal radiation using a system recently developed for this purpose, the authors characterized dose distributions produced from conformal radiotherapy of small animals in a microCT scanner equipped with a variable-aperture collimator.

Methods: Dose distributions delivered to a cylindrical solid water phantom were simulated using a Monte Carlo algorithm.

Sex differences in attainment of independent funding by career development awardees.

Background: Concerns have been raised about the career pipeline in academic medicine, including whether women with a demonstrated commitment to research succeed at the same rate as male colleagues.

Objective: To determine the subsequent academic success of recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) career development awards.

Setting: United States.

Under-representation of women in high-impact published clinical cancer research.

Background: Adequate representation of women in research has been deemed essential.

Methods: Cancer research published in 8 journals in 2006 was reviewed. The percentage of women among study participants was compared with the proportion expected from population-based estimates of sex-specific cancer incidence, using binomial tests.

Frequency, nature, effects, and correlates of conflicts of interest in published clinical cancer research.

Background: Relationships between clinical researchers and industry are becoming increasingly complex. The frequency and impact of conflicts of interest in the full range of high-impact, published clinical cancer research is unknown.

Methods: The authors reviewed cancer research published in 8 journals in 2006 to determine frequency of self-reported conflicts of interest, source of study funding, and other characteristics.