Tuesday, August 20, 2013

ACRONYMS

Linda and Kristen.  Probably Christmas
 
 
From time to time I have complained about the ubiquitous tendency, almost a compulsion, on the part of  cancer researchers to festoon their papers with acronyms.  Several papers and/or proposals that I have attempted to understand had so many of these little capital-letter decorations that I have had to resort to compiling an Acronym Dictionary to make any progress.  Well, in my new role as a guy trying to help Dr. Saul Rivkin advance the cause of ovarian cancer independence in the human race, I have just been given a 90-page protocol to digest.  As evidence of Dr. Rivkin’s superiority to other researchers, or possibly simply of his compassion, the article begins with a Dictionary of Acronyms.  Three full pages of acronyms!  I foresee a long battle.       
The protocol describes a Stage 1 clinical trial that we (MRC) are running.  It is for women with advanced ovarian cancer who have relapsed.  Participants are being recruited from all over the west; at least one woman lives in Alaska.  I wish this trial had been available four years ago.


1 comment:

  1. DoD cancer fact #5: Use of estrogen alone as a postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy for 10 or more years increases the risk of ovarian cancer.

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