Cancer Prevention or Drug Promotion? Journalists Mishandle the Tamoxifen Story

Abstract

The results of a study on the use of tamoxifen as a preventive treatment for women at high risk for breast cancer have been uncritically hailed and widely mishandled by the U.S. media. Journalists need to take a closer look at the creative manipulation of data, the “scientific method,” and the potential drug-company profits associated with this study and the resulting recommendations on tamoxifen use.