Harry Landon enthusiastically reports that researchers in the United States have claimed that research carried out on fruit flies could provide a vital breakthrough in the treatment of cancer (Oxford Mail, May 18).

He then sarcastically comments that anti-vivisectionists will be targeting research on insects next.

It would be interesting to know if Mr Landon also accepts without question the credibility of the hundreds of other alleged breakthroughs in cancer research that appear every year with unending regularity.

In G Edward Griffin's book, World Without Cancer (American Press 1974), the author complains: ". . .almost daily we can read in our press encouraging stories about how we are on the very brink of a tremendous cancer breakthrough . . .

"The reason is this is simple. These men are the beneficiaries of gigantic research grants from the federal government, tax-exempt foundations, and from the American Cancer Society.

"They must claim to be making encouraging progress or else their funding will not be continued.

"The cancer research pie now is reaching out to the multi-billion market annually.

"The ones who will get the biggest slice out of that lucrative pie are the ones who claim to be 'on the verge of a great breakthrough', for who would want to be responsible for cutting off funds just when the cure appeared so close?"

Research on fruit flies may, or may not, lead to the development of new cancer treatments, but unless Mr Landon has a crystal ball, it is somewhat premature to extol the activities of researchers who, in all probability, have made these extravagant claims simply to procure more funding.

Mr Landon should wise up to the fact that we can't necessarily believe everything that we read in the papers.

Jim Crawford

Burton Place, Oxford