Six months ago, the media was ablaze with the findings of a new paper, showing that nearly six percent of cancer cases are caused, at least in part, by obesity and diabetes. But this week, the journal retracted that paper — and replaced it with a revised version. The new paper doesn’t change the main … Continue reading How much cancer stems from diabetes, obesity? Lancet journal swaps high-profile paper
The Lancet has retracted a journalist-written piece about a controversial drug used off-label to induce abortions, and replaced it with a corrected version. In the retraction notice, the journal said it “removed the information that we believe to be inaccurate.” The article, first published Oct. 28, 2017, highlights Pfizer’s decision to withdraw the drug, misoprostol, … Continue reading Lancet retracts and replaces news story about controversial abortion drug
In March 2016, researchers in Switzerland and Canada published a meta-analysis in The Lancet, exploring the optimal painkiller and dose for treating pain in knee and hip osteoarthritis. Soon after, the authors were informed of an error that would change “all numbers” in a paper that may influence clinical practice. The authors contacted The Lancet … Continue reading Lancet retracts (and replaces) paper a year after authors report error that changes “all numbers”
The Lancet has tagged an expression of concern onto a seminal 2011 paper by Paolo Macchiarini, the Italian surgeon whose work and conduct outside the operating room has earned months of heavy criticism that recently culminated in his dismissal from the Karolinska Institutet. “Tracheobronchial transplantation with a stem-cell-seeded bioartificial nanocomposite: a proof-of-concept study,” which described the first … Continue reading Lancet issues expression of concern for 2011 Macchiarini paper
Last week, The Lancet honored a co-author’s request to remove his name from Paolo Macchiarini’s seminal 2011 paper, which described the first transplant of an artificial trachea seeded with autologous stem cells but has since come under fire. On March 3, the journal posted this notice: The Lancet has been contacted by Dr KH Grinnemo … Continue reading Whistleblower removed from Macchiarini’s Lancet author list
Embattled trachea surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, who has spent more than a year fighting misconduct allegations, is defending the ethical oversight behind one of his seminal papers published in The Lancet. The 2011 paper “Tracheobronchial transplantation with a stem-cell-seeded bioartificial nanocomposite: a proof-of-concept study” described a first-of-its-kind procedure: A 36-year-old man with recurrent tracheal cancer received an artificial … Continue reading Macchiarini defends ethics of 2011 Lancet paper
Following questions from outside experts, a retraction of a related paper, a university investigation and a court case, The Lancet has decided to retract a 1992 paper by Ranjit Kumar Chandra, the self-proclaimed “father of nutritional immunology.” In a lengthy retraction note included in the January 30 issue, the journal explains that: the balance of probabilities … Continue reading Lancet retracts 24-year-old paper by “father of nutritional immunology” after reopening inquiry
The Lancet Infectious Diseases has removed a cover illustration of the Buddha contemplating a mosquito from its June, 2015 issue — a complement to a paper about malaria treatment in Cambodia — after receiving emails from readers who protested the depiction of the statue in a non-religious context. After publishing the cover, the journal received … Continue reading Lancet journal removes Buddha cover art following protest
The Lancet Oncology is correcting a 2011 article about the cancer risks of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those from cell phones, to clarify information about potential conflicts of interest for one of the experts who was involved in its preparation. The assessments appeared as a monograph for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). However, after the 2011 … Continue reading Lancet Oncology updates conflicts of interest statement for cancer-cell phone paper
A paper whose expression of concern we covered in November 2014 has been retracted and republished “because of the extent of the changes necessary,” according to the Lancet Respiratory Medicine. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen retraction/republications at the Lancet, accompanied by thorough breakdowns of the problem. This study was a meta-analysis of research on how … Continue reading Retraction and republication for Lancet Resp Med tracheostomy paper