LAUSR

Failure to reproduce results of papers is recognized, but the causes, and therefore solutions, are not. One possibility is that deficits in quality of the work result in varying or inconclusive results. Erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) have been used to treat anemia in cancer patients, but there are concerns that ESAs might stimulate Epo receptors on tumor cells (EpoR-cancer hypothesis). Papers have been published on the topic, but the data and conclusions conflict, making them suitable for examination of a relationship between quality and reproducibility. Comprehensive literature searches were performed, and 280 relevant papers were identified. Numerous conflicts between and within these papers were apparent. The incidence of faults in quality parameters was high including absence of adequate controls (90% of papers), inadequate validation of reagents and methods (87% of papers), and inadequate/improper statistical methods (84% of papers) with questionable interpretation of the data (81% of papers). This resulted in false-positive/negative data that varied with the reagents and methods used. The low quality of evidence may explain the poor reproducibility of EpoR-cancer papers.