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BELOW IS a review of the events leading to the actions of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) regarding the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project (NSABP), the steps taken in relation to one specific institution, and comments on the wider meaning of these actions.
As principal investigator at one of the two institutions singled out by the NCI for several press releases in connection with its recent investigation of NSABP, I am impelled to comment on the substance of what has occurred, the method by which events have been handled, and the implications of this for clinical research.
Some undisputed NSABP accomplishments need to be noted.
The treatment of breast cancer in women in the United States and throughout most of the civilized world has been altered as a result of NSABP studies over the past 30 or more years.
The data pool at NSABP from over 40 000 patients with