Accessibility and Quality of Online Cancer-Related Clinical Trial Information for Naïve Searchers.

Although the Internet may help to increase cancer patients' awareness of clinical trials, little is known about the accessibility and quality of online clinical trial information. We simulated the experience of a naïve cancer patient without clinical trial knowledge by searching three popular search engines for treatment information for breast, lung, and prostate cancer, and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Two coders independently evaluated website content for accessibility and quality.

Improving the quality of bone marrow assessment: Impact of operator techniques and use of a specimen preparation checklist.

Background: Successful bone marrow assessment is essential to the diagnosis and staging of hematologic malignancies. The objective of this study was to determine whether specific operator techniques and/or use of a specimen preparation checklist could impact the quality of bone marrow assessment by reducing the frequency of nonspicular aspirates, small cores, and nondiagnostic samples.

Methods: All bone marrow biopsies performed at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute from April, 2012 to September, 2012 were eligible for inclusion.