Reliability of Cancer Treatment Information on the Internet: Observational Study

Abstract

BackgroundFinding the correct medical information in a flood of information from the internet is a significant issue for patients with cancer.ObjectiveWe investigated the reliability of the information on cancer treatment methods available on the internet based on an evaluation by medical oncologists, medical students, and cancer survivors.MethodsUsing Google and Yahoo as the search engines, we carried out the information search using 2 keywords, “cancer treatment” and “cancer cure,” and the top 20 information sites were identified. A similar search was conducted on 5 types of cancer. The reliability of the information presented was rated on a 3-level scale (A, B, or C). Level A referred to reliable sites (providing information complying with the clinical practice guidelines for various types of cancer), Level B included sites not falling under either Level A or Level C, and Level C comprised dangerous or harmful sites (providing information on treatment not approved by the regulatory authority in Japan and bombastic advertisements without any relevant clinical evidence). The evaluation was conducted by medical oncologists, medical students, and cancer survivors. The consistency of the information reliability level rating between the medical students or cancer survivors with that of the medical oncologists was assessed by using the kappa value.ResultsA total of 247 sites were evaluated for reliability. The ratings provided by the medical students’ group were as follows: Level A, 12.1% (30/247); Level B, 56.3% (139/247); and Level C, 31.6% (78/247). The ratings provided by the cancer survivors’ group were as follows: Level A, 16.8% (41/244); Level B, 44.7% (109/244); and Level C, 38.5% (94/244). The ratings provided by the oncologists’ group were as follows: Level A, 10.1% (25/247); Level B, 51.4% (127/247); and Level C, 38.5% (95/247). The intergroup rating consistency between the medical students’ group and oncologists’ group was 87.4% (216/247, kappa=0.77) and that between the cancer survivors’ group and oncologists’ group was 76.2% (186/244, kappa=0.61).ConclusionsOf the investigated sites providing information on cancer treatment on the internet, the percentage of sites that seemed to provide harmful information was much higher than that of sites providing reliable information. The reliability level rating was highly consistent between the medical students’ group and the medical oncologists’ group and also between the cancer survivors’ group and the medical oncologists’ group.

How clinician-patient communication affects trust in health information sources: Temporal trends from a national cross-sectional survey

“…While professional information may be more broad, social media enables people to share their more personal experiences with medications, treatments, and experiences. Unfortunately, this content is unlikely to apply to all readers, and research has identified approximately 20% of cancer-related social media information is not medically or scientifically accurate [ 59 ] and reliability is low [ 60 ]. Accessing reliable information in a timely manner is one of the critical aspects of today’s health care, given the great emphasis on the patient-centered care model.…”

Does Internet Use Affect Medical Decisions among Older Adults in China? Evidence from CHARLS

“…Due to the limitation of professional knowledge, it is difficult for patients to identify the relevant information, and they are prone to be misled by the wrong medical information, which leads to health anxiety; for instance, physical symptoms are misinterpreted as signals of dangerous diseases, and there is a continual worry of being sick [ 75 ]. Ogasawara found that many websites offer harmful information about cancer, and the proportion of these websites is far higher than that of sites that offer reliable information about cancer treatment [ 76 ] which brings “noise” and intensifies the “increasing tendency” of regular medical institutions. If the development of Internet medical care is allowed to develop savagely and irregularly, it may further aggravate the medical burden of hospitals.…”

Impact of the Internet on Medical Decisions of Chinese Adults: Longitudinal Data Analysis

“…In a semistructured interview on the use of Chinese language internet information on cancer, most of the 20 respondents reported that they encountered internet health information with questionable quality [ 38 ]. An observational study showed that some sites provide harmful information, and the proportion of these sites was much higher than sites providing reliable information on cancer treatment (N=247) [ 39 ]. The studies above hint at the reasons why the use of internet might increase the probability of residents going to high-level medical institutions.…”