Thursday, March 14, 2013

Reuters Special Report: Behind a cancer-treatment firm's rosy survival claims




Here’s a story that I want to make sure US cancer victims have a chance to read. If you’re not from the US, this might be a bit of a surprise for you. 

The following quote gives you the core of the story: “A lot of doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers in the United States decline to treat people who can't pay, or have inadequate insurance, among other reasons. What sets CTCA (i.e. Cancer Treatment Centers of America) apart is that rejecting certain patients and, even more, culling some of its patients from its survival data lets the company tout in ads and post on its website patient outcomes that look dramatically better than they would if the company treated all comers.”

Here’s a link to the story by Sharon Begley and Robin Respaut which was first published on March 6th: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/06/us-usa-cancer-ctca-idUSBRE9250L820130306  

PS – Somehow the name, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, makes me wonder if this is a franchise operation. For example, is there a Cancer Treatment Centers of Russia?

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