I learned early in my cancer journey how to interpret the term “median survival rate.”  An article by Stephen Jay Gould called “The Median isn't the Message,” explains that if the median survival rate is 18 months, then half of the patients died in 18 months or less, and half lived longer.  However, as Gould points out in his article, the half that live longer could live much longer—even years longer.  

The original article also discloses the funding source for the study—the manufacturer of Tykerb, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)--a reminder to factor in possible study bias when interpreting the results.  GSK is seeking approval for Tykerb as a first line treatment for non-metastatic disease.  Much of what I have read about Tykerb from actual patients is their worry about how to pay for it.  An incredibly expensive drug, even people with insurance have found it hard to fund their copays.  Also, because it is an oral drug and not an IV, some insurance companies, including Medicare, either don’t pay for it, or pay at a lower rate.

So, what does all of this data mean to you?  If you have Her2 positive breast cancer, and if you have been on Herceptin, but you need a new drug, then you need to ask your doctor about Tykerb.  Given its high expense, its increased effectiveness after Herceptin, and its success in less than half the cases in this study, I question whether it should be a first-line drug.

I recounted my own struggle to interpret this data to give you a model for how you can do your own research.  Read more than one source, and if you don’t understand the basics in an article, do a Google search on some of the key items to find information in an easier-to-understand form.  Don’t be afraid to go to the original medical article.  There will be a summary and charts that will help you get the basic idea even if you don’t know the medical terminology.  If you are reading the article to see if the results might apply to you, pay particular attention to the part of the article that describes the study subjects to see if their cancer profile is like yours.  Unless you have a strong science background, reading medical reports is challenging, so be patient with yourself and keep rereading.  Understanding the research that affects you is worth the time and trouble.