Annals of surgery
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Review
Industry Bias in Randomized Controlled Trials in General and Abdominal Surgery: An Empirical Study.
Industry sponsorship has been identified as a source of bias in several fields of medical science. To date, the influence of industry sponsorship in the field of general and abdominal surgery has not been evaluated. ⋯ Industry funding of surgical trials leads to exaggerated positive reporting of outcomes. This study emphasizes the necessity for declaration of funding source. Industry involvement in surgical research has to ensure scientific integrity and independence and has to be based on full transparency.
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The aim of this study was to describe current understanding of the local and systemic immune responses to surgery and their impact on clinical outcomes, predictive biomarkers, and potential treatment strategies. ⋯ Local immune responses to surgery lead to systemic pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive phases that are temporally related and proportionate in magnitude. Improved understanding of these mechanisms has implications for clinical study design and has led to the emergence of novel biomarkers such as Toll-like receptor expression. These can be used to stratify patient care pathways to maximize the benefit from current therapies or to select the right target at the right phase of illness for future drug development.