ArticlePloS one2012
Patterns of information-seeking for cancer on the internet: an analysis of real world data.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- Harnessing Internet Search Data as a Potential Tool for Medical Diagnosis: Literature Review.JMIR mental health · 2025Review
- How Patients With Cancer Use the Internet to Search for Health Information: Scenario-Based Think-Aloud Study.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Article
- Diverging from News Media: An Exploratory Study on the Changing Dynamics between Media and Public Attention on Cancer in China from 2011-2020.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Detecting Impending Stroke From Cognitive Traits Evident in Internet Searches: Analysis of Archival Data.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Article
- Vaccine advertising: preach to the converted or to the unaware?NPJ digital medicine · 2021Article
- Persistent digital divide in health-related internet use among cancer survivors: findings from the Health Information National Trends Survey, 2003-2018.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2021Article
- Quality of online self-management resources for adults living with primary brain cancer, and their carers: a systematic environmental scan.BMC palliative care · 2021Article
- Article
- Real-World Evidence on the Effect of Missing an Oral Contraceptive Dose: Analysis of Internet Search Engine Queries.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
- Assessment of the Frequency of Online Searches for Symptoms Before Diagnosis: Analysis of Archival Data.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
- Symptoms Prompting Interest in Celiac Disease and the Gluten-Free Diet: Analysis of Internet Search Term Data.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Article
- Internet Searches for Medical Symptoms Before Seeking Information on 12-Step Addiction Treatment Programs: A Web-Search Log Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Article
- Seeking Web-Based Information About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Where, What, and When.Journal of medical Internet research · 2017Article
- Peering into the Deep: Characterizing the Internet Search Patterns of Patients with Gynecologic Cancers.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2017Article
- Medication risk communication with cancer patients in a Middle East cancer care setting.Patient preference and adherence · 2016Article
- Analyzing Information Seeking and Drug-Safety Alert Response by Health Care Professionals as New Methods for Surveillance.Journal of medical Internet research · 2015Article
- Pediatric cancer and the internet: exploring the gap in doctor-parents communication.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2015Article
- Automatic identification of Web-based risk markers for health events.Journal of medical Internet research · 2015Article
- Seeking insights about cycling mood disorders via anonymized search logs.Journal of medical Internet research · 2014Article
- Information is in the eye of the beholder: Seeking information on the MMR vaccine through an Internet search engine.AMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings. AMIA Symposium · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Although traditionally the primary information sources for cancer patients have been the treating medical team, patients and their relatives increasingly turn to the Internet, though this source may be misleading and confusing. We assess Internet searching patterns to understand the information needs of cancer patients and their acquaintances, as well as to discern their underlying psychological states. We screened 232,681 anonymous users who initiated cancer-specific queries on the Yahoo Web search engine over three months, and selected for study users with high levels of interest in this topic. Searches were partitioned by expected survival for the disease being searched. We compared the search patterns of anonymous users and their contacts. Users seeking information on aggressive malignancies exhibited shorter search periods, focusing on disease- and treatment-related information. Users seeking knowledge regarding more indolent tumors searched for longer periods, alternated between different subjects, and demonstrated a high interest in topics such as support groups. Acquaintances searched for longer periods than the proband user when seeking information on aggressive (compared to indolent) cancers. Information needs can be modeled as transitioning between five discrete states, each with a unique signature representing the type of information of interest to the user. Thus, early phases of information-seeking for cancer follow a specific dynamic pattern. Areas of interest are disease dependent and vary between probands and their contacts. These patterns can be used by physicians and medical Web site authors to tailor information to the needs of patients and family members.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.