<i>TPMT</i>-Cisplatin: Lessons in Citation Integrity and Scientific Oversight.

Abstract

To assess the ongoing citation of the 2009 <i>Nature Genetics</i> article by Ross et al linking <i>TPMT</i> to cisplatin-induced ototoxicity and to evaluate the extent to which its disputed findings persist in the literature. A total of 378 Google Scholar citations of the 2009 <i>Nature Genetics</i> publication from 2009 to 2025 were examined, of which 214 PubMed-indexed manuscripts were screened and categorized by citation nuance (positive, negative/mixed) and citation characteristics using the framework proposed by Suelzer et al in a 2019 <i>JAMA Network Opens</i> study. Citation context was independently assessed by two reviewers, with discrepancies resolved by consensus of all three authors. Most articles cited the 2009 publication in a favorable or uncritical manner, even in publications after 2015 US Food and Drug Administration's cisplatin label revision acknowledging that the 2009 findings were flawed. A minority of citations acknowledged conflicting evidence or questioned the study's validity. Although the 2009 publication's findings have been widely challenged, many subsequent authors continue to cite the study without acknowledging its limitations. This pattern highlights the need for stronger postpublication oversight, more transparent editorial practices by high-impact journals, and greater critical engagement by authors when citing foundational literature to ensure that clinical and research narratives are shaped by reliable and current evidence.