A study has revealed that millions of women are turning to TikTok for information about gynecologic cancers, but the vast majority of what they find there is inaccurate or highly misleading.
Researchers from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute reviewed the top 500 most popular TikTok posts under the five most frequently used hashtags related to ovarian, endometrial, cervical, vulvar cancers, and gestational trophoblastic disease. They evaluated the main themes, reliability, and educational quality of the content.
According to the study’s senior author, Dr. Laura Chambers, this situation clearly illustrates the power of social media to spread misinformation, while also highlighting how it fills an information gap on topics that patients often do not raise in clinical visits. Chambers noted that this also points to unmet needs in healthcare delivery.
As of August 2022, the five hashtags had been viewed more than 466 million times. The study found that at least 73% of the content was inaccurate and of low educational quality. Racial and cultural disparities seen in gynecologic cancers were also reflected in the TikTok environment.
Chambers made the following observation:
“The honesty shown by people who share their personal cancer journeys on social media is striking. But these data pose a question for us as healthcare professionals: How can we build trust-based and honest communication with our patients? And as a society, how can we provide accurate health information and support services?”
Chambers advises that patients seeking community support should turn not only to social media but also to reputable in-person or online advocacy groups. The findings of the study were also presented as a poster at the 2023 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting.
Murad Karabulut 
CancerDisinfo