A Feb. 2 story in The Wall Street Journal and another in the San Francisco Business Times reported that Susan G. Komen for the Cure® was changing its position on the drug Avastin for late-stage breast cancer patients. We wanted to clarify that Komen’s position on Avastin has not changed – we are still recommending that women who are benefitting from Avastin continue to have access to it, even if the Food and Drug Administration removes it as an approved drug for metastatic breast cancer.

The misinformation started with a faulty headline in a blog post on The Wall Street Journal’s website. A San Francisco Business Times writer picked up on the incorrect headline for a blog posting that was also wrong. Both writers issued corrections almost immediately, but the incorrect stories had already begun making the rounds on the Internet, and we are seeing them still in various on-line venues. This situation underscores how quickly misinformation can spread on the Internet.