Editorial

Retraction

Retraction: Sudbø J et al. DNA Content as a Prognostic Marker in Patients with Oral Leukoplakia. N Engl J Med 2001;344:1270-8 and Sudbø J et al. The Influence of Resection and Aneuploidy on Mortality in Oral Leukoplakia. N Engl J Med 2004;350:1405-13

Gregory D. Curfman, M.D., Stephen Morrissey, Ph.D., and Jeffrey M. Drazen, M.D.

N Engl J Med 2006; 355:1927November 2, 2006

Article

On February 9, 2006, we published an Expression of Concern1 about two articles we had published by Jon Sudbø et al.2,3 In the Expression of Concern, we indicated that we were awaiting the results of an investigation by Dr. Sudbø's institution. That investigation was undertaken by a commission appointed by the Rikshospitalet–Radiumhospitalet Medical Center and the University of Oslo. The commission's report was filed on June 30, 2006, in Norwegian (http://www.rikshospitalet.no/content/res_bibl/6621.pdf), and we received an official English translation on September 1, 2006 (see the Supplementary Appendix, available with the full text of this article at www.nejm.org).

In early September, we sent copies of the translated report to all the authors of the two Journal articles by Jon Sudbø et al. We asked each author to respond before September 30, 2006. We have now received responses from all authors except Asle Sudbø. Each of the responding authors, except Jon Sudbø, has indicated that the data that form the foundation for the articles have been called into question by the findings of the commission, and each of them has requested that the articles be retracted. Jon Sudbø alone does not agree with the commission's report. Given the weight of evidence offered in the commission's report and the requests of most of the authors of the articles, we retract both articles.

References

References

1. 1

   Curfman GD, Morrissey S, Drazen JM. Expression of concern: Sudbø J et al. DNA content as a prognostic marker in patients with oral leukoplakia. N Engl J Med 2001;344:1270-8 and Sudbø J et al. The influence of resection and aneuploidy on mortality in oral leukoplakia. N Engl J Med 2004;350:1405-13. N Engl J Med 2006;354:638-638
   Full Text | Web of Science | Medline

2. 2

   Sudbo J, Kildal W, Risberg B, Koppang HS, Danielsen HE, Reith A. DNA content as a prognostic marker in patients with oral leukoplakia. N Engl J Med 2001;344:1270-1278
   Full Text | Web of Science | Medline

3. 3

   Sudbo J, Lippman SM, Lee JJ, et al. The influence of resection and aneuploidy on mortality in oral leukoplakia. N Engl J Med 2004;350:1405-1413
   Full Text | Web of Science | Medline

Citing Articles (2)

Citing Articles

1. 1

   G Bradley, E W Odell, S Raphael, J Ho, L W Le, S Benchimol, S Kamel-Reid. (2010) Abnormal DNA content in oral epithelial dysplasia is associated with increased risk of progression to carcinoma. British Journal of Cancer 103:9, 1432-1442
   CrossRef

2. 2

   A. Torres-Rendon, R. Stewart, G.T. Craig, M. Wells, P.M. Speight. (2009) DNA ploidy analysis by image cytometry helps to identify oral epithelial dysplasias with a high risk of malignant progression. Oral Oncology 45:6, 468-473
   CrossRef