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The authors discuss the study by Patricia Cortazar and colleagues which examines the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. The authors remark that the study failed to quantify the association between improvements in polymerase chain reaction (pCR) and either event-free survival or overall survival. The authors believe that the findings of the study need to be reassessed and different immediate endpoints need to be validated and developed.

In general, patients are not given information about the results of trials in which they have participated. We aimed to assess the process and effect of providing clinical trial participants with results of a negative study. We offered results to 135 participants in a phase II trial of breast excision alone for women with ductal carcinoma in situ, which was stopped early because of an early high rate of local recurrence. 85 (90%) of 94 respondents chose to receive results; these women were more educated (57 [67%] of 85 college graduates) than those who chose not to (two [22%] of nine, p=0.006). Most participants reported positive feelings about being offered results and about clinical trials in general. These preliminary findings from sharing clinical trial results are encouraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]