Effect of a National Cancer Institute Clinical Alert on breast cancer practice patterns

This study evaluates the effect of the 1988 National Cancer Institute Clinical Alert regarding treatment of early-stage breast cancer on the patterns of treatment provided to patients.

Data analyzed were collected from the hospital and outpatient records of 12,534 female patients with a primary diagnosis of breast cancer (stages I and II) initially diagnosed during the years 1983 through 1989.

Analyses revealed that the proportions of patients with a negative lymph node status diagnosed after the May 1988 Clinical Alert who received adjuvant treatment (tamoxifen and/or multidrug chemotherapy) were significantly greater than predicted from treatment trends established before the Alert's release. Proportions of patients with positive lymph node status receiving adjuvant therapy subsequent to the Alert's release, in contrast, did not fall outside the projected confidence intervals for that group. Additional analyses showed a significant effect of the Clinical Alert among several subgroups of node-negative patients.

Findings suggest that the Clinical Alert mechanism, followed by publication in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, is an effective way to communicate important research findings to practitioners in the community. However, the Alert mechanism is controversial and should be used judiciously to ensure its credibility.