© 2003 American Thoracic Society
Conflict of InterestTo the Editor:Since Drs. Patz and Goodman responded to my prior letter raising a question of potential conflict of interest in their prior publication in AJRCCM, further information has become available that heightens rather than allays my concern (1–3). First, deposition and trial transcripts from the West Virginia medical monitoring lawsuit asking that the tobacco companies pay for computerized tomographic screening in West Virginia residents at high risk for lung cancer because of their prior smoking history clearly indicate that Dr. Goodman began to review documents for tobacco industry law firms 6 to 8 months before his deposition in June 2001 and later courtroom testimony in November 2001 that computerized tomographic screening is ineffective and possibly dangerous (4). Absent the highly unlikely possibility that this was pro bono work, Goodman had a highly lucrative financial arrangement with the tobacco industry during October through December 2000, which was months before publication of the article in question in AJRCCM in March 2001. Goodman's testimony indicates that he was paid a total of $80 to $100,000 for his testimony. Second, a search of documents on the www.legacy.tobacco website reveals that Dr. Patz applied for a Council for Tobacco Research grant of $85,000 in 1994, but was not funded. The Council for Tobacco Research was disbanded in 1999 as part of the settlement between US state attorney generals and the tobacco industry. Finally, Drs. Patz and Goodman have qualified their answer to the editor of AJRCCM by stating that neither had a financial arrangement of any kind "at the time of the publication of this article." The more important question of whether the tobacco industry provided financial support, directly or indirectly, to either author during the period between 1994 and the publication of their AJRCCM article in March 2001 that was not reported to the editors and readers of the journal remains unanswered.
City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California FOOTNOTES Conflict of Interest Statement: F.W.G. is the principal investigator of the City of Hope International Early Lung Cancer Action Project Screening Trial and has received $1,500 for participating on an advisory panel for Astra-Zeneca Corp. in 2001. I-ELCAP has provided $30,000 for data management of this trial, as well as funding for travel and accommodations to biannual meetings in 2001–2003. REFERENCES
From the Authors: In response to Dr. Grannis's question, neither of us received any financial support, directly or indirectly, from the tobacco industry during the period between 1994 and the publication of our AJRCCM article in March 2001 (1).
Duke University Medical Center Durham, North Carolina REFERENCES
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