Lung cancer dominates ASCO social media conversation among health care professionals
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Discussion about lung cancer research breakthroughs dominated the social media conversation among health care professionals during this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting.
Creation Healthcare, a leading digital insights consultancy, used its CREATION Pinpoint technology to track 37,000 posts by more than 3,000 HCPs between May 31 and June 4.
The analysis identified more than 4,000 individual posts that made reference to lung cancer — significantly more than any other cancer type.
A significant proportion of this HCP discussion centered on responses to results of several transformative trials presented at the conference. It also included conversation highlighting the growing importance of biomarker analysis, genomic profiling, and the benefits of telehealth and palliative care.
HCPs used the hashtag #lcsm — meaning “lung cancer social media” — 1,968 times. They used #lungcancer 595 times.
Practice-changing trials
Creation Healthcare’s analysis showed the results of major trials — particularly those in lung cancer — drove much of the social media conversation among HCPs during ASCO.
The randomized phase 3 LAURA trial — which showed osimertinib (Tagrisso, AstraZeneca) following chemotherapy improved PFS compared with placebo among patients with advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer — was the most frequently mentioned trial during ASCO. It accounted for more than 900 individual mentions by HCPs.
Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, presented the LAURA trial findings during ASCO’s plenary session and received what one online HCP described as a “rousing ovation” from the crowd.
HCPs' immediate responses praised the “massive” and “impressive” PFS benefits of the treatment. Others labeled the trial as “practice changing,” “mind blowing” and a “huge win for patients.”
Some HCPs, however, expressed concern about the lack of mature OS data. A small number also feared that there may have been an under-staging of a significant proportion of patients in the placebo group, leading to a potentially inflated disparity in PFS results between osimertinib and placebo.
Discussion on the whole, however, was overwhelmingly positive. Several HCPs extended congratulations to the team involved in the trial.
Creation Healthcare’s analysis showed similarly positive conversations surrounding two other lung cancer trials presented at ASCO.
The randomized phase 3 ADRIATIC trial — which showed durvalumab (Imfinzi, AstraZeneca) improved outcomes for patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer after standard chemoradiotherapy — accounted for 482 posts by HCPs.
Charu Aggarwal, MD, Leslye M. Heisler assistant professor for lung cancer excellence at University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and a Healio | HemOnc Today Associate Medical Editor — described the trial data as “truly historic” and suggested the regimen is a “new standard of care.”
The analysis identified 465 social media posts by HCPs about the randomized phase 3 CROWN trial, which showed lorlatinib (Lorbrena, Pfizer) improved PFS compared with crizotinib (Xalkori, Pfizer) among adults with advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive NSCLC.
Oncologist Giannis Mountzios, MD, said the study “sets a new benchmark in precision oncology.”
Marcelo Corrassa, MD, said a “key takeaway” from the trial data — given the novelty of a 60-month PFS in NSCLC — should be for physicians to do a “better job making the lives of our patients better.”
One oncologist suggested using dynamic monitoring to identify patients who do not benefit from lorlatinib use.
Other cancer types
Although lung cancer accounted for three of the top five most-discussed trials during ASCO, research from other subspecialties also helped drive the social media conversation.
The Creation Healthcare analysis showed the ESOPEC trial was the second-most discussed trial during ASCO.
The trial — mentioned more than 800 times by online HCPs — compared two strategies for locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma that could be treated with surgery: the CROSS protocol (chemoradiotherapy before surgery) and the FLOT protocol (chemotherapy before and after surgery).
Benedikt Westphalen, MD, said the results would establish a “new standard of care.”
Others, however, appeared not entirely convinced, questioning why OS outcomes were “unexpectedly poor” with CROSS and suggesting that chemoradiotherapy was an outdated comparator.
Creation Healthcare identified more than 3,000 posts on social media by HCPs during the conference that discussed breast cancer, the second most-discussed cancer type.
Topics of interest included a new blood test to predict cancer recurrence and first-line treatments for HER2-positive breast cancer,
The hashtag #bcsm — meaning “breast cancer social media” — was used 684 times, and #breastcancer was used 561 times.
Genitourinary cancer — including bladder, kidney and prostate cancers — was the third most-discussed topic.
Online HCPs discussed positive results with drug combinations — including toripalimab (Loqtorzi, Coherus Biosciences) and disitamab vedotin (Pfizer) for bladder cancer. They also highlighted biomarker data from the CheckMate -901 trial and praised artificial intelligence digital histology for predicting prostate cancer recurrence and metastasis.
AI and telehealth in oncology
Creation Healthcare’s analysis also showed a number of references to the role of artificial intelligence in oncology.
In 401 posts, HCPs recognized the transformative role of AI in identifying biomarkers for diagnosis or predicting treatment outcomes in various cancer types, including colorectal cancer and prostate cancer.
They shared highlights from education sessions that explored the use of AI in cancer research, and they noted how AI can bridge communication gaps to enhance patient-practitioner relationships.
The analysis revealed 555 posts from HCPs suggesting telehealth services are as effective as in-person delivery of palliative care for patients with advanced lung cancer and can help ensure delivery of “high-quality cancer care in rural areas.”
Most engaged HCPs
Using CREATION Pinpoint technology, Creation Healthcare identified the most peer-engaged HCPs throughout ASCO.
The three most successful were Toni K. Choueiri, MD, who garnered more than 2,000 engagements from peers through the conference; Sumanta K. Pal, MD, FASCO, who received 1,523 engagements; Narjust Florez, MD, FASCO, who received 1,517 engagements.
Choueiri, director of Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, was the most-mentioned HCP by peers online. He was tagged in 2,162 posts that praised him for his research presentations, mentorship role and leadership nominations.
Choueiri posted 134 times during ASCO, primarily sharing results of GU cancer trials and celebrating peers for their research presentations.
His most engaged post, which garnered 242 likes, congratulated Lynn Schuchter, MD, for her president’s address during ASCO’s opening session.
Pal — chair of the kidney and bladder cancer disease team at City of Hope and a Healio | HemOnc Today Editorial Board member — was the second most mentioned HCP by peers online. He was tagged in 1,523 posts, many of which commended him for his talk on managing variant histologies in urothelial and renal cell cancers. Others reshared posts from Pal in which he praised colleagues.
Pal posted 307 times during ASCO, often sharing results of genitourinary cancer trials and congratulating peers for their contributions.
Florez — associate director of the Cancer Care Equity Program and thoracic medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a Healio Women in Oncology Peer Perspective Board member — was the third most mentioned HCP by peers online.
She was tagged in 1,517 posts, many of which congratulated her for becoming the youngest ASCO fellow, being recognized in the “40 Under 40 in Cancer” class of 2024, and for the lung cancer research she presented.
Florez posted 401 times during ASCO, sharing highlights from sessions she enjoyed and lung cancer research that she or her colleagues presented.
In her most engaged post, which garnered 127 likes, she expressed her gratitude for being an associate editor with JAMA Oncology.
‘A unique opportunity’
"Listening to the online conversations of health care professionals during the most significant international health conferences like ASCO 2024 is immensely valuable,” Creation Healthcare CEO Daniel Ghinn said. “It allows us to take a deep dive into the thoughts, perspectives, opinions and underlying sentiments of health care professionals toward some of the most powerful breakthroughs in cancer treatment of our generation. It’s evident that many upcoming treatment options, as health care professionals themselves note, have the potential to completely revolutionize cancer care for patients.”
“This year, our findings highlight lung cancer — and particularly recent clinical trials in the field — as the most significant area of discussion,” Ghinn added. “The dialogue surrounding the benefits, drawbacks, challenges and solutions of each treatment option provides valuable insights into how frontline healthcare workers perceive their potential impacts. Listening to these conversations offers a unique opportunity to understand the priorities and perspectives of health care professionals. This understanding is crucial for improving the delivery of healthcare around the world."
References:
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