Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30813118›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2019

Public perceptions of changing the terminology for low-risk thyroid cancer: a qualitative focus group study.

Brooke Nickel, Caitlin Semsarian, Ray Moynihan, Alexandra Barratt, Susan Jordan, Donald McLeod, Juan P Brito, Kirsten McCaffery

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Brooke NickelWiser Healthcare, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-8100-4278
Caitlin SemsarianFaculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Ray MoynihanWiser Healthcare, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Alexandra BarrattWiser Healthcare, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Susan JordanCancer Causes and Care, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Donald McLeodCancer Causes and Care, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Juan P BritoDivision of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism and Nutrition, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Kirsten McCafferyWiser Healthcare, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The University of Sydney · AUBond University · AUMayo Clinic · USQIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute · AUThe University of Queensland · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo investigate public perceptions of overdiagnosis and overtreatment in low-risk thyroid cancer and explore opinions regarding the proposed strategy to change the terminology of low-risk cancers.

designQualitative study using focus groups that included a guided group discussion and presentation explaining thyroid cancer, overdiagnosis and overtreatment, and proposed communication strategies. Transcripts were analysed thematically.

settingSydney, Australia.

participantsForty-seven men and women of various ages from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds with no personal history of thyroid cancer.

resultsParticipants had low pre-existing general awareness of concepts of overdiagnosis and overtreatment and expressed concern regarding this new information in relation to thyroid cancer. Overall, participants understood why the strategy to change the terminology was being proposed and could see potential benefits including reducing the negative psychological impact and stigma associated with the term 'cancer'; however, many still had reservations about the strategy. The majority of the concerns were around their worry about the risk of further disease progression and that changing the terminology may create confusion and cause patients not to take the diagnosis and its associated managements seriously. Despite varied views towards the proposed strategy, there was a strong overarching desire for greater patient and public education around overdiagnosis and overtreatment in both thyroid cancer and cancer generally in order to complement any revised terminology and/or other mitigation strategies.

conclusionsWe found a strong and apparently widely held desire for more information surrounding the topic of overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Careful consideration of how to inform both the public and current patients about the implications of a change in terminology, including changes to patients' follow-up or treatments, would be needed if such a change were to go ahead.

Indexed as

Terminology as TopicAdolescentAdultAgedAnxietyAustraliaFemaleFocus GroupsHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMedical OveruseMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchThyroid NeoplasmsYoung Adultoncologypublic healthqualitative research

Identifiers

PMID30813118
PMCPMC6377531
OpenAlexW2911865666

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.