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All three network anchors have a personal stake in the Stand Up To Cancer fundraising telethon that they co-host each September. So all three newscasts gave prominent publicity to an SUTC-funded biotechnology advance by Johnson & Johnson that will now go into clinical trials at Massachusetts General Hospital. It is a blood test that can detect trace elements of tumor cells, as rare as once cell in a billion. The test is designed for cancer patients under treatment, to check whether a tumor is successfully shrinking, without invasive biopsy. NBC's Robert Bazell confined his reporting to that use. CBS' in-house physician Jon LaPook also speculated about isolating the tumor cell's genetics in order to tailor treatment. ABC's in-house physician Richard Besser warned against its use for diagnostic screening: "Some fear such a test may detect cancer cells that our bodies are capable of fighting--without dangerous surgery or chemotherapy."
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