Oncol Lett 12: [Related article:] 3457–3462, 2016; DOI:
10.3892/ol.2016.5046
Following the publication of this paper, it was
drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that,
regarding the Transwell assay data shown in Fig. 2, panels A, B,
and E all appeared to be showing the same sample, albeit rotated at
various angles in these panels, suggesting that data which were
intended to show the results of differently performed experiments
had been derived from the same original source. In addition, the
same data sample appeared subsequently in a paper written by
different authors that was published in the journal Bioscience
Reports, which has since been retracted. Furthermore, an
analysis of the data in this paper performed by the Editorial
Office revealed that these data in Fig. 2, and the western blot
data in Fig. 1, had subsequently appeared in a number of other
articles that were written by different authors at different
research institutes, several of which have likewise been
retracted.
Owing to the number of overlapping data panels
identified in Fig. 2, and given the fact that the contentious data
in the above article have been found to have been featured in a
number of subsequently published articles, the Editor of
Oncology Letters has decided that this paper should be
retracted from the Journal on account of a lack of confidence in
the presented data. The authors were asked for an explanation to
account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not
receive a reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any
inconvenience caused.
