User:CMForster/sandbox

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Practice Editing Here (Nov 23rd in-class Wiki session work)

 * This is a place to practice clicking the "edit" button and practice adding references (via the citation button).

Assignment # 3
Proposed changes:

1.     Replacing the sentence: “In the United States, about 160,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed each year. Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer is responsible for approximately 2 percent to 7 percent of all diagnosed cases of colorectal cancer.” with the following sentences: “Though the exact prevalence of Lynch Syndrome-causing mutations in the general population remain unknown, recent studies estimate the prevalence to be 1 in 279 individuals, or 0.35%. Certain populations are known to have a higher prevalence of founder mutations, including, but not limited to, French Canadians, Icelanders, African Americans, and Ashkenazi Jews. ”

2.     Addition of the following sentence: “Lynch Syndrome-causing mutations are found in approximately 3% of all diagnosed colorectal cancers, and 1.8% of all diagnosed endometrial cancers. ”

Rationale for proposed change:

1.     The epidemiology section currently contains outdated prevalence information that is limited to the United States. Replacing this sentence with current prevalence data that can be applied to the general population is more inclusive and correct. Additionally, adding in information pertaining to distinct populations that are known to have higher than normal levels of diseases-causing mutations may be useful for individuals to self-select for screening/and or surveillance.

2.     The source used to quantify the proportion of total cases caused by Lynch Syndrome mutations is more up to date and narrows the range that was previously listed (i.e. 2-7%) to specific values. Additionally, we are now including the percentage of endometrial cancers that are associated with Lynch Syndrome mutations in addition to colorectal cancers.

3.     There are no controversies or varied opinions regarding the epidemiology of the disease. In fact, all of the sources that I consulted (including primary research articles that are not included here) are in agreement that the prevalence values are what have been listed above.

Critique of Source:

·      Source #1

o   The authors of this manuscript report personal and consulting fees, as well as research grants from a number of pharmaceutical and genomics companies. However, I do not believe that these disclosures raise any concerns regarding the veracity of the work (specifically, the epidemiological information that I reviewed), as the information that the authors include is well cited from primary studies found in reputable journals that I also reviewed and checked for potential conflicts. Additionally, the values reported are in line with what other studies have reported.

·      Source #2

o   One of the authors of this manuscript has disclosed that they have a financial interest in a novel modeling tool used to screen individuals for Lynch Syndrome mutations based on their past medical history. While this can potentially introduce a bias for certain parts of the manuscript, the epidemiological section that I used does not appear to be biased. Like source #1, the information is well cited and in agreement with the body of literature surrounding Lynch Syndrome epidemiology. However, the model in question does draw utilize the epidemiological values presented in the paper, and thus, this author may have a vested interest in ensuring that the values presented in the paper remain the accepted values such that the diagnostic model remains relevant and lucrative.

·      General critiques

o   Owing to the fact that much of the research into the prevalence of Lynch Syndrome-causing mutations has been through cancer registries, the values are generally extrapolations from models rather than true values from population-wide studies. However, there seems to be agreement amongst experts in the field that these estimated values are likely close to the true values.

What to post on the Wikipedia article talk page?

 * This will also be covered on Nov 23rd in class. Your group should use the below template to share an outline of your proposed improvements (including your new wording and citations). Article talk pages are not places to share your assignment answers. The Wikipedia community will be more interested in viewing your exact article improvement suggestions including where you plan to improve the article (which section), what wording you suggest, and the exact citation (Note: all citations must meet WP:MEDRS)
 * You will not be able to paste citations directly from your sandbox to talk pages (unless you are interested in editing/learning Wiki-code in the "source editing" mode). We suggest re-adding your citations on the talk page manually (using the cite button and populating the citation by pasting in the DOI, website, or PMID). You will have to repeat this process yet again when you edit the actual article live.
 * Talk Page Template: CARL Medical Editing Initiative/Fall 2020/Talk Page Template