From Denise Mann
HealthDay reporter
WEDNESDAY, July 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Don’t believe everything you read about cancer and cancer treatment on social media.
A new study finds that a third of the most popular articles on social media about treating common cancers contain misinformation – and most of it can be downright dangerous.
“The worst-case scenario is when it results in a person rejecting proven cancer treatments in favor of treatment that has been shown to be ineffective against cancer,” said study author Dr. Skyler Johnson. “These inherent dangers affect our ability as oncologists to cure cancer, improve survival, or at least extend and improve the quality of life.”
Consider these fraudulent claims, for example, “Chemotherapy is ineffective in treating cancer” or “Cannabis cures lung cancer” or “Baking soda can cure prostate cancer”.
Articles with this type of misinformation get more clicks and engagement than facts-based articles, the study found.
And such misinformation can cause appropriate cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment to be delayed, said Johnson, a doctor and scientist at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute.
His team identified 200 of the most popular breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer articles on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter and Pinterest between January 2018 and December 2019. Experts from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network checked the contributions for accuracy.
Of the 200 articles, about 33% contained misinformation. Of these, around 77% had information that could negatively affect treatment outcomes. Many of the clicks, likes and comments were made on Facebook, the study found.
Much of the malicious content came from New Age websites, not reputable news sources, but Johnson said it could be hard to tell the difference.
“Be aware that much of the information needs to be viewed critically, as there is a chance that what you may read is inaccurate or potentially harmful,” said Johnson. “Discuss your questions with your oncologist and work together as a team to develop a treatment plan that meets your goals.”
Going forward, Johnson wants to identify predictors of misinformation and harm on social media to help patients and clinicians better navigate this Wild West.
The results were recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Unfortunately for Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, no surprise reviewing the study results.
That’s not to say that social media doesn’t have anything positive to offer people with cancer, he added.
“Social media sites can offer social support or tips on how to deal with cancer therapy side effects,” said Rajkumar, who is also the editor-in-chief of the Blood Cancer Journal. “However, for medical advice, it is always better to go to your doctor, academic center, or government organization such as the National Institutes of Health.”
More information
The American Cancer Society offers tips on how to find information about cancer online.
SOURCES: Skyler Johnson, MD, physician-scientist, Huntsman Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City; S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, professor, medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; Journal of the National Cancer Institute, July 22, 2021
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