False Cancer Information On Online Platforms May Prove Harmful

Nikki Attkisson | Last Updated : July 30, 2021

According to the latest analysis, 30% of the more prominent pieces on online networks concerning illness treatments include disinformation, with the majority of it being outright hazardous. Don’t trust anything you read regarding illness and treatment for cancer on the internet networking.

“The worst-case scenario is when it leads to a person declining proven cancer treatments in favor of a treatment that has not been shown to effectively treat cancer,” said study author Dr. Skyler Johnson. “These inherent dangers compromise our ability as oncologists to cure cancer, improve survival, or at the least extend and improve quality of life.”

False Cancer Information On Online Platforms May Prove Harmful

According to the research, publications with such kind of disinformation receive more views and interaction than those founded on truth. The readership or viewership of such sites is at an alarming level and hence experts are seriously worried about people who follow such false information blindly. In diseases like cancer, such false information may prove deadly and one may not have an idea about his deteriorating health condition due to such false information.

False Cancer Information On Online Platforms May Prove Harmful

Consider these fraudulent claims, for instance: “Chemotherapy is ineffective for the treatment of cancer,” or “cannabis cures lung cancer,” or “prostate cancer can be cured by baking soda.”

From Jan 2018 and Dec 2019, his team found 200 of the highest famous posts on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and Pinterest concerning breast, lung, prostate, and colon cancers. The comments were checked for correctness by specialists from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

And, according to Johnson, a physician-scientist at the Universities of Utah’s Huntsman Research Center, misinformation can cause delays in preventive care, detection, and therapy.

Around 33 percent of the 200 pages had incorrect data. Approximately 77 percent of them had data that may have a detrimental impact on therapy results. According to the survey, Facebook accounted for the majority of the views, likes, and responses.

“Be aware that much of the information needs to be evaluated critically because there is a chance that what you might be reading is inaccurate or potentially harmful,” Johnson said. “Discuss your questions with your oncologist and work together as a team to come up with a treatment plan that meets your goals.”

The majority of the detrimental information came from New Age sites rather than reliable media outlets, but Johnson said it’s difficult to discern the differences.

Johnson hopes to uncover indicators of disinformation & injury on digital networking in the future, in part to further assist consumers and clinicians in navigating this untamed western.

The results are just reported in the National Cancer Institute’s Journal.

Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who examined the research results, said the surge of online disinformation is unsurprising.

This isn’t to imply that new networking does not have any benefits for cancer patients, he noted.

“Social media sites can offer social support or tips on coping with side effects of cancer therapy,” said Rajkumar, who is also editor-in-chief of Blood Cancer Journal. “For medical advice, however, it’s always better to rely on your physician, an academic center, or a government organization like the National Institutes of Health.”

Tumor charlatanism is a very well deception that can be combated by the clinical school. When it comes to miraculous oncologic advancements, both physicians and consumers should be skeptical and skeptical. In the fight against cancer quackery, oncologist and general medical institutes should take the lead. In oncology, the predatory publication phenomena must be recognized and combated. It jeopardizes the integrity of scientific contributions and tarnishes the reputation of reputable, high-quality freely accessible oncology journals.

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Nikki Attkisson

With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.

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