NCI–designated cancer center websites lack sufficient information about breast cancer treatments

A considerable portion of websites from NCI–designated cancer centers failed to provide sufficient information to help patients with breast cancer understand all of their treatment options and make informed decisions, according to study results presented at the Quality Care Symposium.

The information these sites do contain is less accessible to Spanish-speaking individuals and those who accessed the sites via mobile devices.

“In the past 5 years, we have seen an explosion of cancer-related information on the internet,” Caleb Dulaney, MD, radiation oncology resident at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in a press release. “As a result, patients have more choices than ever before when it comes to where they get their breast cancer information.

“Our study [showed] that it is challenging to find information at cancer center websites that will truly help patients stay informed about treatments,” Dulaney added. “There is good information out there and, as physicians, we can direct our patients to comprehensive resources that will help inform a patient’s care goals.”

Dulaney and colleagues systematically reviewed 65 websites — sites from all 63 NCI–designated cancer centers, as well as sites maintained by NCI and Susan G. Komen.

Researchers determined it was easy to find the portion of each site that contained information about breast cancer, requiring a median two clicks to access that page. However, many of these sites did not offer adequate information about treatment options and care decisions, according to the investigators.

Dulaney and colleagues used 33 questions from three validated Breast Cancer Decision Quality Instruments to evaluate breast cancer content on each website. These instruments help assess the quality of the information provided, as well as how well it informs patients about available treatment options.

Two blinded reviewers assessed whether sites provided sufficient information to answer each question.

Researchers determined the websites of major cancer centers, on average, addressed seven (21%) of the 33 questions. Sixteen percent of the sites did not answer any of the questions, and no sites provided enough information to address all questions.

In contrast, information on the NCI’s website addressed 85% of questions, and information on the Susan G. Komen site addressed 88%.

Dulaney and colleagues determined 59% of breast cancer pages on NCI–designated cancer center websites were mobile friendly. Only 24% were accessible to Spanish-speaking patients. Researchers noted this is concerning because breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Hispanic and Latina women.

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“Our findings demonstrate an opportunity for physicians to be involved with website content planning at their cancer centers so that patients with breast cancer have access to information that describes the full scope of treatment and care, along with outcomes information,” Dulaney said. – by Kyle Doherty

Reference:

Dulaney C, et al. Abstract 135. Presented at: Quality Care Symposium; March 3-4, 2017; Orlando, Florida.

Disclosure: Dulaney reports no relevant financial disclosures. Other researchers report honoraria, travel, accommodations and expenses from Medscape; and research funding from Carevive Systems, Medscape and Pack Health.