ReCAP: Pattern of Duplicate Presentations at National Hematology-Oncology Meetings: Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry [FOCUS ON QUALITY]

CONTEXT AND QUESTION ASKED: The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meetings are two of the largest conferences in the fields of hematology and oncology. These meetings are attended by physicians, researchers, pharmaceutical industry colleagues, and representatives from the media and business sectors. The intention of both societies, as stated in their submission guidelines, is to accept abstracts that have not previously been presented. These policies are presumably in place to minimize redundancy and, due to time and space constraints, allow the largest number of researchers to present their findings. Hence, we asked, are there duplicative presentations at these two large meetings, and if so, how often do they occur? METHODS—WHAT WE DID: To date, however, the success of the societies in eliminating duplication has not been carefully analyzed. In addition, the motivations behind re-presentation have not been evaluated objectively. Therefore, we conducted a review of 327 malignant hematology (non-transplantation) abstracts presented at ASCO 2010 and compared them with prior and subsequent ASCO and ASH meetings to evaluate the incidence of duplicate presentations and their relationship to funding sources over a 2 year time frame. RESULTS—WHAT WE FOUND: Our analysis indicated that 31% of accepted abstracts were duplicated during the 2-year time frame, with those indicating pharmaceutical support three ti...
Source: Journal of Oncology Practice - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Ethics issues, Ethics issues, Cost Effectiveness, Onco-Politics, Policy Analysis, Ethics, Efficiency of Care FOCUS ON QUALITY Source Type: research