©The Author(s) 2018. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Sep 15, 2018; 10(9): 228-230
Published online Sep 15, 2018. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v10.i9.228
Published online Sep 15, 2018. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v10.i9.228
Real practice studies in oncology: A positive perspective
Alessandro Ottaiano, SSD-Innovative Therapies for Abdominal Metastases, Clinical and Experimental Abdominal Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori di Napoli, Naples 80131, Italy
Author contributions: Ottaiano A conceived and drafted this editorial.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author has no conflict of interest to declare.
Correspondence to: Alessandro Ottaiano, MD, Associate Professor, SSD-Innovative Therapies for Abdominal Metastases, Clinical and Experimental Abdominal Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori di Napoli, IRCCS “G. Pascale”, via M. Semmola, Naples 80131, Italy. ale.otto@libero.it
Telephone: +39-81-5903510 Fax: +39-81-7714224
Received: June 12, 2018
Peer-review started: June 12, 2018
First decision: July 9, 2018
Revised: July 12, 2018
Accepted: August 4, 2018
Article in press: August 4, 2018
Published online: September 15, 2018
Processing time: 96 Days and 0 Hours
Peer-review started: June 12, 2018
First decision: July 9, 2018
Revised: July 12, 2018
Accepted: August 4, 2018
Article in press: August 4, 2018
Published online: September 15, 2018
Processing time: 96 Days and 0 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Oncologic patients enrolled in phase III pivotal trials are usually selected on the basis of specific characteristics and they are quite different from the real practice populations: this could account for low reproducibility of results in the clinics real world. In this Editorial, differences between prospective clinical trials and real practice studies are discussed giving a critical and positive perspective on the results of real practice studies also through specific examples. The correct and balanced interaction between clinical trials and real practice results can help the scientific community to improve the knowledge on anti-cancer drug therapies.