Correcting the record to enhance patient care Retractions play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of academic publishing and ensuring research credibility. While they are often viewed negatively due to concerns about reputational damage and career impact, BMJ Group sees them as crucial to scientific progress. They improve quality and rigour, reinforce trust, refine evidence, and improve patient care. After identifying a methodological error, Dr Brian Nicholson and his team at the University of Oxford worked closely with The BMJ to retract and publish an updated version of Prioritising primary care patients with unexpected weight loss for cancer investigation: diagnostic accuracy study. 13 In March 2023, The BMJ published an expression of concern, followed by the retraction and a new publication in The BMJ in October. The journal informed the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about the retraction, as the study had the potential to shape recommendations on referring individuals with unexplained weight loss in primary care to specialist services. The updated analysis revealed a striking shift in findings. Expanding the study population from 64,000 to over 326,000 patients and correcting the error, the 2023 update found that nearly 5% of those with unexpected weight loss were diagnosed with cancer within six months, compared to almost 1.5% in the original 2020 results. These updated findings led to revised clinical recommendations, 14 now advising urgent cancer referrals for all men aged 50+, women aged 60+, and younger patients with specific symptoms. They include an increase in recognised clinical features associated with cancer in men (from 10 to 20) and women (from 11 to 17), improving diagnostic accuracy. Additionally, Nicholson’s paper provides valuable evidence to help assess and refine guideline implementation by demonstrating the practical implications of NICE’s recommendations on cancer investigation.
“We found the journal very responsive to our approach for advice about what we should do next.” Brian D Nicholson , academic clinical lecturer, associate professor, and general practitioner, Oxford University, UK
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