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Writing and Publishing Scientific Articles
Example of a Well-Written Abstract (Clinical Study) The following abstract is well written:
BACKGROUND: Previous prevention trials suggest that regular aspirin use decreases the risk of colorectal adenomas, the precursors to most colorectal cancers, but those studies were conducted in average-risk subjects. We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial to determine the effect of aspirin on the incidence of colorectal adenomas in a high-risk group of patients, namely, those with a history of colorectal carcinoma. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with previous colorectal cancer to receive either aspirin at a daily dosage of 325 mg or placebo. Colonoscopy was performed at recommended intervals or as determined by each patient’s own gastroenterologist. We determined the proportion of patients with adenomas, the number of recurrent adenomas, and the time to the development of an adenoma between the time of randomization and subsequent colonoscopic examinations. Relative risks were adjusted for age, sex, cancer stage, the number of colonoscopic examinations, and the time to a first colonoscopy. The study was terminated early by an independent data and safety monitoring board when statistically significant results were reported during a planned interim analysis. RESULTS: A total of 517 randomized patients had at least 1 colonoscopic examination a median of 12.8 months after randomization. One or more adenomas were found in 17% of patients in the aspirin group and 27% of patients in the placebo group ( P = 0.004). The mean ( ± standard deviation) number of adenomas was lower in the aspirin group than the placebo group (0.30 ± 0.87 vs. 0.49 ± 0.99; P = 0.003 by the Wilcoxon test). The adjusted relative risk of any recurrent adenoma in the aspirin group, as compared with the placebo group, was 0.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.46–0.91). The time to the detection of a first adenoma was longer in the aspirin group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio for the detection of a new polyp, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.43–0.94; P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Daily use of aspirin is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of colorectal adenomas in patients with previous colorectal cancer. Our results, together with the strong existing evidence that adenomas are precursors of colorectal cancer, indicate that aspirin use may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer.
Adapted from Sandler RS et al. A randomized trial of aspirin to prevent colorectal adenomas in patients with previous colorectal cancer. N Engl J Med 348:883-890, 2003. Reprinted with permission.
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