Authored by Huo Wenjing from the hospital’s gynecology department, the paper was published in the electronic journal in June 2017 and was made publicly available on November 29 the same year, the Paper reported.

The paper stated that the study analyzed 80 cases of uterine fibroid patients, dividing them into control and observation groups. However, it bizarrely claimed that the control group included 27 males and 13 females, while the observation group consisted of 28 males and 12 females, according to the report.

A senior obstetrician-gynecologist from a leading hospital said that male patients cannot be included in uterine fibroid studies, as the condition occurs exclusively in women, the Paper reported.

Some netizens have also criticized the paper’s claim that men can develop uterine fibroids as completely absurd, the report said.

Later on Monday, the hospital issued a statement acknowledging academic misconduct in the paper. 

The statement noted that Huo received a demerit, was demoted, and was barred from any promotion or professional advancement for five years.

Following the incident, media outlets uncovered additional gynecology papers listing male patients with conditions like uterine fibroids and postpartum hemorrhage, including two published in Guide of China Medicine, a medical journal, Chinanews reported.

On Tuesday, the journal issued an apology on its official website, attributing the errors to flaws in the peer-review process and admitting that editors had failed to rigorously verify the content. 

The journal stated that the responsible editors had been dismissed and that stricter review protocols had been put in place to prevent future lapses.


Global Times