Despite steadily declining rates of cancer deaths over the past two decades in the U.S., cancer

remains responsible for one in every six deaths worldwide.

It's a scourge, so when news like this comes out, we can't help it perk up.

A team of Israeli scientists say they will likely develop a cure for cancer in the next

year.

Basically, it's a combination of cancer targeting peptides and a toxin that kills cancer cells.

A company called Accelerated Evolution Biotechnology, they've got cancer down pat.

The company's technology is called Mutato, that's multi-target toxin. And to judge from the

news media this week, it seems vetted, verified, and veering us all toward a cancer-free future.

Reports began in the Jerusalem Post, but quickly took off, making their way into various

Murdoch-owned publications like Fox and the New York Post and landing in local news outlets across the country and the globe.

A couple of days into the fanfare, the skeptics started coming out.

As oncologist David Gorski points out in his blog, respectful insolence,

the claims are based on experiments with mice.

No human trials have yet started.

For another, they haven't been sufficiently peer-reviewed.

In fact, the company won't share its research, claiming it can't afford the expense.

This too good to be true story

appears to be just that. But who can resist a good cancer cure? And with Mutato in mind,

this week's podcast Extra has us revisiting our Breaking News Consumer's Handbook, Health News Edition.

What makes my skin crawl is when I hold the news release in one hand and the story in the other hand,

and the quote is lifted verbatim from the news release without attribution.

...