sexta-feira, 30 de julho de 2021
What to Expect During Chemotherapy
By: Faith Addiss, RN, BSN, Senior Patient Education Facilitator
When drug therapy kills cancer cells, it may affect healthy cells as well. These healthy cells are likely to repair themselves after treatment ends but you may have side effects during treatment. Side effects will vary, depending on the drugs used and your general health before treatment.
Knowing the common side effects of your drug regimen, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormone therapy, can help make the process a little easier. Roswell Park doctors, nurses, and advanced practice providers (APPs) such as nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), are ready to lend a hand. They will discuss your treatment options and their risks and benefits, as well as help you navigate the process and make you as comfortable as possible.
Learning about your drug regimen
In 2020, Roswell Park began a new way of helping patients prepare for their drug therapy. The Chemotherapy Education Pathway is designed to lessen the stress of chemotherapy education and make the teaching process more effective. The program includes a 1 on 1 visit with a clinical pharmacist or oncology nurse to review your drug regimen, including how it will be given and what side effects you might experience. The program also includes Roswell Park’s book, Taking the Lead, which offers wellness tips, strategies for managing side effects, and instructions for when to call your doctor. (También disponible en español).
The Resource Center is an important stop where you can have a chemotherapy orientation that covers what to expect in the infusion center, and how to connect with the support services and resources available at Roswell Park, locally and nationally. You can also watch our Chemotherapy Orientation videos on YouTube:
- Chemotherapy Orientation: Overview. Take a look at the Infusion Center and know what to expect on your first visit
- Chemotherapy Orientation: Meet Your Team
- Chemotherapy Orientation: Resource Center. Learn about the Resource Center and its programs, including your chemo kit.
- Chemotherapy Orientation: Why the Wait? Explains what happens between the time you arrive and the time you receive your infusion.
- Chemotherapy Orientation: Support. Helpful tips on relaxation, meditation and more.
These materials are for those having IV drug therapy. If you will be taking your drug therapy by mouth, you will receive information about our specialty pharmacy and instructions on how to take and handle these powerful medications. You can also find information on drug therapy in the Patient Education Library in your Patient Portal or the Patient Education Library on the Roswell website.
During your treatment
Our goal is to help you feel as comfortable as possible throughout your treatment. Both the Buffalo and the Amherst Chemotherapy & Infusion Centers have recliners with TVs as well as newspapers, blankets and light refreshments. The centers are staffed with highly skilled nurses who have received special training in administering these medications. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask your nurses, and follow these general guidelines:
- Dress warmly or bring layers for treatment days. You may feel cold after receiving IV fluids, and infusions can take several minutes or as long as 10 hours.
- Take care of yourself. Get enough rest and sleep, maintain good nutrition, and exercise if you feel up to it. Our clinical dietitians can help if your appetite is affected during treatment.
- Inform your doctor or nurse of any side effects, such as trouble eating, drinking, or swallowing; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation, or if you feel you are having an allergic reaction such as a rash, itching, hives, palpitations, dizziness or swelling, or tingling in your mouth or throat.
- Avoid all tobacco products and alcohol.
- Avoid spicy, hot, or acidic foods; they can cause nausea.
- Drink plenty of water. Aim for 2 to 3 liters a day unless your doctor restricts your fluids.
- Care for your mouth. Brush teeth gently and avoid mouthwash that contains alcohol.
- Care for your skin. Check with your doctor before putting anything on a rash. Avoid the sun and when outdoors, use SPF 30+ sunscreen, and wear a hat, long-sleeve shirt and long pants. Don’t use tanning beds.
- Follow the instructions provided to you for your care at home, reducing the risk of infection, and protecting those around you.
Seek and accept support
Talking with someone who has lived with cancer can be comforting and can reduce the sense of anxiety and isolation that a cancer diagnosis may bring. Some of the options Roswell Park provides include:
- The Roswell Park Community is a safe and secure online forum for sharing ideas, experiences and concerns with others. This free service is easy to join — all you need is an email address.
- Cancer Coach program matches newly diagnosed patients with a cancer survivor who understands their journey.
- Support Groups offer social and emotional support, which can improve healing and help you feel better. To protect our community and patients, some Roswell Park groups have been modified or are being held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some groups are cancer-specific (bladder, breast, lung, myeloma, leukemia, prostate) or focus on a specific population, such as survivors, caregivers, kids, young adults, widows/widowers, or patients who undergo transplant or have an ostomy.
- Look Good…Feel Better program helps cancer patients cope with appearance-related effects of their treatment by offering skin, hair and nail care tips; make-up techniques; and wig, scarf, hat, and turban demonstrations.
Keep your eyes on the prize
Not everyone experiences side effects during drug therapy and many are able to continue with regular or modified routines. Keeping close to your daily schedule may help distract from discomfort. You may find it useful to make a list before you begin treatment, so that you can remind yourself of activities or people that help you feel better. Whether it’s getting lost in a good book, watching a funny favorite movie, listening to music, or talking to a trusted friend, make yourself a priority during this time. Focus on your healing and remember that this is a short-term part of a long-term journey to a healthier time in your life.
Fonte: Roswell Park
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STAGE 1 BREAST CANCER
Welcome back! This blog provides financial resources and information for people living with cancer. This post is the third in a series for information on breast cancer resources, which can be found at: https://livingwithcancertakemyhand.com/blog. In this post I will focus on stage 1 breast cancer.
Cancer in an emotional roller coaster. Coping with fear and anxiety often consumes more time than cancer treatment. While I focus on treatment and resources, please take advantage of the cancer support services offered by your cancer treatment team. Counseling, support groups, and spiritual support will help you move forward on this journey.
What is stage 1 breast cancer?
Stage 1 breast cancer is a very early stage of an invasive cancer. A small cluster of cancer cells may or may not have spread to normal surrounding breast tissue but are still contained in a small local area. If treatment is completed, stage 1 breast cancer rarely spreads to other parts of the body or comes back later.
How is stage 1 breast cancer treated?
Stage 1 breast cancer is typically treated with surgery:
Lumpectomy: Removal of the breast cancer tumor and surrounding tissue. Recovery time is shorter than mastectomy, typically 2-4 weeks. Radiation therapy is often recommended after lumpectomy.
Mastectomy: Permanent removal of the entire breast. Reconstruction surgery may be planned at the same time. Recovery will take a minimum of 4-6 weeks. For more details on what to expect with mastectomy, go to: What to Expect During and After Mastectomy Surgery (breastcancer.org)
Hormone Therapy:
After your surgery, your cancer treatment team looks at your cancer cells under the microscope. They look for estrogen or progesterone receptors on the surface of each cancer cell. If they find these receptors on your cancer cells, it means that your body’s hormones are feeding your cancer cells. Your clinician may recommend hormone therapy. Hormone therapy will reduce hormones in your body to “starve” the cancer cells. This type of treatment comes in pills and capsules. Patients taking hormone therapy may experience side effects from reduced hormone levels. Most people living with breast cancer can maintain employment and normal activity levels while taking hormone therapy.
Radiation:
In addition to surgery, radiation is often recommended. Daily radiation therapy may be scheduled for up to 5-7 weeks. Flexible work schedules can allow people living with breast cancer to receive radiation therapy and continue employment. For details of radiation treatment, go to: Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer Treatment: Types, Side Effects and More
Chemotherapy:
A small percentage of people living with stage 1 breast cancer will need chemotherapy. Treatment may be scheduled once a week or once every 3 weeks. Talk with your healthcare team and your employer about required time off. Depending on the flexibility of your work schedule, and side effects to the medications, you may want to consider requesting intermittent FMLA . For details on FMLA go to: FMLA -The Family and Medical Leave Act | Living with cancer take my hand
Will I need short or long term resources?
Short term resources are appropriate for stage 1 breast cancer. Even with chemotherapy, most treatment plans for stage 1 breast cancer do not extend past 6 months. Loss of income can occur if you do not have sufficient paid leave time for your surgery recovery time. Income can also be affected if you do not get paid for time used for radiation therapy or chemotherapy infusion dates. Additionally, you may incur debt with health insurance deductibles and co-pays.
Resources:
Short term disability: An insurance plan that replaces at least part of your income if you are unable to work for a limited period. Short term disability plans do not cover work related injuries.
California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island require employees to participate in short term disability plans, however there are exceptions. If you live in a state other than the five listed above, your employer may offer a short-term disability insurance plan as part of your benefit package (ie; Aflac, State Farm, MetLife, etc.) For more details go to:
Short Term Disability Leave- The Basics | Living with cancer take my hand
Short-Term Disability: What Every Employee Should Know | The Muse
Additional patient assistance resources can be found at: Patient Assistance Programs | Living with cancer take my hand
Resources for chemotherapy can be found at: Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs | Living with cancer take my hand
Ask your cancer treatment team for additional local resources. Often there are funds available from local organizations and charities to keep you stable during this journey.
I hope this information is helpful. If you would like to continue this conversation, please click on the Subscribe button at the top of the Blog page. I would love to hear your comments as well as resources that have worked for you. Please share this information with your family and friends.
Keeping you in my prayers
Jackie
Fonte: Living With Cancer
As informações e sugestões contidas neste blog são meramente informativas e não devem substituir consultas com médicos especialistas.
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quinta-feira, 29 de julho de 2021
Everyday chemicals, hormones, and breast cancer: What is the link?
Another cell culture study joins the list of research investigating the link between environmental chemicals and breast cancer. Although it is too early to make bold claims, this article covers what experts currently believe.
We have exposure to dozens of chemicals daily. The air we breathe is made of chemicals — nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, among many others — and so is the water we drink. There are also many chemicals that we have created, such as aspirin, which is an effective pain relief drug.
Organizations including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rigorously test such chemicals under laws such as the Toxic Substances Control Act before they reach the consumer to ensure that they are safe.
However, could some of these chemicals have yet unexplored health effects?
Ruthann Rudel, research director at the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, MA, and Silent Spring scientist Bethsaida Cardona started their research with that question in mind.
They sought to identify preventable causes of breast cancer and investigated which chemicals might contribute to an increased risk of this condition.
As part of their study, Rudel and Cardona went through data on 2,000 chemicals listed in the EPA’s Toxicity Forecaster, which is a program that screens chemicals for potential health hazards.
Their paper appears in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
In their review, the researchers found 296 chemicals that caused an increase in levels of estradiol, which is a form of estrogen and the major female sex hormone, progesterone levels, or both estradiol and progesterone in adrenal cell culture.
Of these chemicals, 71 caused an increase in both hormones. They included chemical flame retardants, dyes, fungicides, and pesticides.
Some of the chemicals implicated included:
- 1,2-Diphenylhydrazine: This is a chemical that manufacturers use in the production of dyes, pharmaceuticals, and hydrogen peroxide.
- Malathion: This is an insecticide in the chemical family known as organophosphates. People commonly use it in mosquito control.
- Phosmet: This is an organophosphate insecticide that people use for protecting apple trees.
- Oxyfluorfen: This is an herbicide with widespread use in agriculture, specifically for weed control.
“In this study,” Rudel told Medical News Today, “we used new data produced by EPA to identify commonly used chemicals that have been shown to increase the synthesis of estrogen and progesterone in cells in a dish because this is directly relevant to hormone receptor [HR]-positive breast cancer.”
“There’s been a fair bit of attention on identifying chemicals that bind to and activate the estrogen receptor — essentially mimicking estrogen — but no one had identified chemicals that increase the synthesis of estrogen or progesterone, so we used the new data to do that.”
The findings suggest that some of these synthetic chemicals could increase the risk of breast cancer by way of stimulating the two hormones linked to breast cancer: estrogen and progesterone.
“Since many environmental chemicals would not be as strong activators as endogenous estradiol, the weaker activity limited concerns in some assessments,” said Rudel. “However, since the chemicals we identified increase the synthesis of estradiol, which is very potent, the effects of these chemicals on breast cancer may be much stronger [than thought].”
Similarly, in one randomized trial, using a mixture of estrogen plus progestin — which is the synthetic form of progesterone that the body produces naturally — in hormone replacement therapy was shown to increase breast cancer risk.
However, scientists are still trying to establish how these chemicals are achieving this increase in estradiol.
One way, they hypothesize, is that these chemicals could be acting as aromatase activators — the opposite of drugs such as tamoxifen — and causing cells to produce more of these hormones.
The study also points out that regular exposure from multiple sources rather than one-off or rare exposures is likely to have an effect.
How do estrogen and progesterone cause cancer?
Two out of three cases of breast cancer are HR-positive, according to the American Cancer Society. Being HR-positive means that the cancer cells may receive chemical signals from sex hormones that could promote their growth.
Most HR-positive breast cancer cases are estrogen receptor-positive.
Estrogen can cause cancer
Similarly, progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer is sensitive to the hormone progesterone. Cells, in these cases, have receptors that allow them to use this hormone to grow.
Hormone therapy can prevent tumors from using estrogen or progesterone, thereby slowing or stopping tumor growth, or they can lower levels of these hormones in the body.
The study adds to research exploring additional risk factors for breast cancer that scientists have yet to identify.
“The role of environmental pollutants in breast carcinogenesis is particularly poorly understood, yet there are understandable public concerns about the role of broad, low-level exposure to environmental pollutants,” said Dr. Lauren Teras, Ph.D., the scientific director of epidemiology research at the American Cancer Society.
However, studying possible links between cancer and chemicals proves troublesome.
The short half-life of some chemicals, the length of time over which cancer develops, the cumulative exposure to chemicals and various mixtures, and having different physiologic characteristics could determine whether or not these chemicals will impact the body and, if so, to what extent, said Dr. Teras.
Although it is interesting to see these chemicals having an effect, people should interpret the data with caution. Dr. Janie Grumley, surgical breast oncologist and director of the Comprehensive Breast Program at the Margie Petersen Breast Center in Santa Monica, CA, agrees.
“This [research] was in a very controlled in vitro situation, which is the biggest area of caution because it does not necessarily apply to human beings. And when reading something like that, we definitely do not want to jump to conclusions,” Dr. Grumley told MNT.
She likened it to mapping out a route for a trip. “You mark point A and B, and you draw a straight line, and you think O.K., we are going to get there. But in reality, when you actually take that trip, there are lots of things that are unexpected. There are mountains and hills and oceans and things that you can’t really anticipate and may not be turn out to be anything,” she said.
According to Dr. Teras, the results of the study are not surprising.
“We are continuing to learn about the complex ways in which our environment plays a role in human health. However, no one study stands alone. Though this study presents a nice summary of chemicals that deserve further investigation, I do not view this as a list of chemicals that is ready for clinical action,” she told MNT.
The next step would be to determine whether or not these chemicals produce the same effect in animals and humans.
Rudel said that their review also explored the types of effects reported when scientists tested these chemicals in experimental animals. The chemicals, she said, were likely identified as carcinogens or reproductive/development toxicants if tested. However, many had not undergone testing in that regard.
Chemicals reported to affect mammary glands in experimental animals have also been found to influence breast cancer risk by increasing the synthesis of estradiol, progesterone, or both.
According to Rudel, current methods for chemical safety testing appear to be missing breast-related effects, including effects on breast development, puberty, lactation, and cancer.
“Doing this study really opened my eyes to the fact that our chemical testing approaches are missing potential breast cancer risks because we simply aren’t looking for them,” she said.
“It’s common knowledge in the breast cancer community that estrogen and progesterone are risk factors, and first-line treatments for [HR]-positive breast cancer are to reduce levels of these or block the estrogen receptor so estrogen can’t make the cells divide,” she told MNT.
The researchers recommend strengthening methods to check for likely breast effects when testing chemicals and identifying possible carcinogens before they end up in consumer products.
They also suggest limiting people’s exposures to such chemicals during critical stages of development, such as puberty and pregnancy.
If companies are using the chemicals that have effects on estrogen or progesterone synthesis, “they should invest and could try to tease it out further, knowing that there may be something,” said Dr. Grumley.
“If nothing alarming comes out of it, they can continue to use the product, but if there is, they can take responsibility and produce alternatives or make efforts in that regard,” she added.
The study has raised an interesting point in research to identify breast cancer risk by focusing on chemicals that increase estrogen or progesterone. However, without in vivo studies, it is premature to try to establish a definitive link.
A multi-pronged approach is necessary to get a full understanding of the role that chemicals play in developing breast cancer. This should encompass all data from cell, animal, and observational human studies, according to Dr. Teras.
“The human body is [also] extremely complex, and studying one piece of the puzzle in isolation may be very different from what happens when all the pieces come together.”
– Dr. Lauren Teras, Ph.D.
“Even though the findings are interesting, we cannot take that and apply it to human beings until we do further assessments,” added Dr. Grumley.
Evaluating the effects of these chemicals on humans remains challenging, and most have
In that sense, the new study can direct future research into examining the effects that chemicals may have on mammary glands, such as tumors.
“So, we expect that more rigor should be applied in interpreting observations of chemically induced changes in mammary tissue,” said Rudel.
Fonte: MNT
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Drug rapidly shrinks metastatic breast cancers in mice
- The most common type of breast cancer is incurable if it spreads to other parts of the body.
- A study in mice suggests that a drug candidate called ErSO not only kills primary breast tumors but also secondary, or metastatic, cancer in bone and the brain, liver, and lungs.
- The cancer cells do not appear to become resistant to ErSO, unlike current drug treatments.
- The new drug works by overactivating a cellular mechanism that usually protects the cells.
Every year, around
Approximately three-quarters of cases are a type called estrogen receptor-positive, in which the cancer cells have a receptor in their membranes that binds to the sex hormone estrogen. This type of breast cancer is incurable if it spreads.
The problem with current drug treatments, such as tamoxifen, is that the cancer cells can develop
Scientists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are working on a new type of drug that could prevent the development of resistance.
The drug, called ErSO, works by overactivating a stress response mechanism that normally protects cancer cells from harm. When the mechanism goes into overdrive, however, it kills the cells.
In mouse models of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, the drug rapidly killed 95–100% of primary cancer cells and their metastases in the brain, liver, lungs, and in bone.
“Even when a few breast cancer cells do survive, enabling tumors to regrow over several months, the tumors that regrow remain completely sensitive to retreatment with ErSO,” says David Shapiro, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry, who co-led the research with chemistry professor Paul Hergenrother, Ph.D.
“It is striking that ErSO caused the rapid destruction of most lung, bone, and liver metastases and dramatic shrinkage of brain metastases, since tumors that have spread to other sites in the body are responsible for most breast cancer deaths,” Prof. Shapiro adds.
In previous research, another drug candidate that activates the same stress response mechanism caused undesirable side effects in mice.
However, ErSO killed cancer cells more quickly than the other drug and was well-tolerated in mice, rats, and dogs.
The researchers report their findings in Science Translational Medicine.
Breast cancer cells with receptors for estrogen prepare for the stresses of rapid growth by activating a pathway called the
This stress response pathway can help breast tumors develop resistance to conventional anticancer drugs, which work by blocking or inhibiting the estrogen receptor.
But the new drug, ErSO, binds to a different part of the estrogen receptor. This has the effect of overactivating the stress response pathway, with fatal consequences for the cells.
Crucially, the drug appears to be selective, only killing cancer cells and not healthy cells.
“The unique thing about this compound is that it doesn’t touch cells that lack the estrogen receptor, and it doesn’t affect healthy cells — whether or not they have an estrogen receptor,” says Prof. Hergenrother.
“But it’s super potent against estrogen receptor-positive cancer cells,” he adds.
In mice, advanced breast cancers derived from human cells often shrank to undetectable levels within a week of treatment with ErSO.
“Many of these breast cancers shrink by more than 99% in just 3 days,” says Prof. Shapiro. “ErSO is fast-acting, and its effects on breast cancers in mice are large and dramatic.”
The unfolded protein response is a regulatory mechanism that kicks in when unfolded proteins start to accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum. This is a
Normally, after the stress response has reduced the number of unfolded proteins, it shuts down once again.
In breast cancer cells with estrogen receptors, however, the stress response remains switched on in preparation for rapid growth and protein production.
The researchers found that ErSO works by further cranking up the stress response to a degree that is fatal for the cancer cells.
Specifically, one of the effects of ErSO on cancer cells is to release a flood of calcium ions from the endoplasmic reticulum within minutes of exposure to the drug.
“This release of calcium triggers the strong and sustained activation of the stress response pathway but does not itself kill the cancer cells,” Prof. Shapiro told Medical News Today.
“It is the subsequent loss of energy in the cancer cell and the inability to produce new proteins that play key roles in the death of the cancer cells after exposure to ErSO,” he explained.
In further preclinical studies, the research team at the University of Illinois plans to investigate whether ErSO is effective against other types of cancer cell that have estrogen receptors in their membranes.
The scientists report that the drug company Bayer now has exclusive rights to develop ErSO as a cancer therapy.
Only clinical trials will reveal whether the drug is an effective and safe treatment for metastatic breast cancer in humans.
Fonte: MNT
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1 in 3 cancer articles on social media contain harmful misinformation
According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 72% of adults in the United States use social media. Another survey suggests that 73% of people in the U.S. obtain health-related information from the internet.
Research also shows that false news is more shareable than news that is fact-checked, especially for social media.
A study of social media claims about drugs and dietary supplements circulated on WhatsApp found that 86.4% of them were either false (27.3%) or “potentially misleading” (59.1%), with claims about the latter being most shared.
The spread of health misinformation can hinder the delivery of
Some experts suspect that social media might influence patient decisions for cancer treatment. However, there is little data on the quality of cancer treatment information available on social media.
Recently, scientists from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City led a cross-country collaboration to examine the accuracy of cancer treatment information on social media and its potential for harm.
They found that a third of the most popular cancer articles on social media contain misinformation, with the majority of these articles carrying harmful information.
“When conducting the study, I was unsure of what to expect,” Skylar Johnson, assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute, and lead author of the study, told Medical News Today.
“My fears were confirmed when the data suggested that many articles shared on social media contain misinformation and harm. The surprising finding was that this type of information was more likely to receive increased online engagement when compared to factual and safe information,” he noted.
“It is essential that we address misinformation from multiple areas, including on social media, with patients, and with providers. It is our hope that this information could be used to help inform future social media health policy surrounding health information on social media and the need to amplify high quality, accurate and safe information,” he added.
The researchers have published their findings in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The scientists used BuzzSumo, a web-scraping software, to gather the 50 most popular English language articles for each of the four most common cancers: breast, prostate, colorectal, and lung.
They included articles and blog posts shared on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and Pinterest between January 2018 and December 2019. Of the 200 pieces the software collected:
- 75 came from traditional news outlets
- 83 came from nontraditional digital outlets
- two came from personal blogs
- six came from crowd-funding sites
- 34 came from medical journals
The researchers selected two National Comprehensive Cancer Network panel members to rate the articles for misinformation and harmful information. The panel members also included descriptions of the reasons behind their ratings.
After performing statistical analysis of the data, the researchers found that 32.5% of the articles contained misinformation. This mostly came from misleading titles, misuse of evidence, and unproven therapies.
They also found that 30.5% of articles contained harmful information. These articles mostly urged people to delay or not seek out medical attention for curable conditions, pay for expensive therapies, self-medicate with potentially toxic substances, or use alternative therapies that could interact adversely with other treatments.
The scientists also discovered that articles with harmful information received an average of 2,300 shares, while safe articles received 1,500 shares. And while Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter engagements had links with misinformation and harm, Pinterest engagements had associations with neither.
The study did not evaluate why misinformation exists or why individuals share it more. However, other
Other
A study focusing on health misinformation found that people who distrust the healthcare system and have a favorable view of alternative treatments are more likely to believe health-related misinformation.
Johnson added that some may be interested in “too good to be true” treatments, as they could give those who are vulnerable some measure of hope. People may also feel privileged by having access to information that is not mainstream. All of these reasons, he says, may then receive amplification by social media algorithms.
The researchers conclude that their findings could help lay the foundation for patient-specific tools and behavioral interventions to counter cancer misinformation online.
However, they wrote that their results are limited, as they only examined articles in English. They added that data from BuzzSumo may not completely match that from social media platforms and that their data lacks important qualitative information.
They note that researchers need to conduct further studies to understand who engages with cancer misinformation, its impact on scientific belief, trust, and decision-making, and the role of doctor-patient communication in correcting misinformation.
The team is also in the process of creating a database to identify article-specific features linked to misinformation.
“This study demonstrates why it is important for people to refer to information produced by reputable organizations, or speak to their doctor when looking for information about cancer,” said Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research UK’s head cancer information nurse, who was not involved in the study, in a recent interview with MNT.
“At Cancer Research UK, our online information in the About Cancer Section of our website is written by cancer nurses and reviewed by experts. Our online community Cancer Chat is fully moderated to keep it safe and to identify and remove any misinformation that might be posted on it,” he added.
“This was a rigorous, well-designed study to assess the quality of cancer treatment information on popular social media platforms, “ Dr. Deborah Doroshow, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, who was not involved in the research, told MNT. She continued:
“These results suggest that social media companies may be promoting the spread of potentially harmful misinformation; I would argue that they have a duty to identify such sources when they are presented on their platforms because our patients’ lives are at stake.”
“The results, sadly, are not a surprise to those of us working within this field,” Dr. Joel Newman, consultant hematologist in the East Sussex Healthcare branch of the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, who was not involved in the study, told MNT.
“Our patients naturally have questions and wish to research ways to make themselves better or improve their chances with their cancer treatment. However, ‘research’ these days involves a quick Google search or a trawl through social media, neither of which constitutes scientific research.”
“The best way to gain information on diagnosis and treatment is to talk to your medical professionals — doctors and specialist nurses, or through reputable cancer charities who are able to provide independent and reliable information and support.”
Fonte: MNT
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