ArticleCureus2022
The Boseman Effect: A Missed Opportunity?
Article in Cureus, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Characteristics, Uses, and Biases of Studies Related to Malignancies Using Google Trends: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Black-White disparities across the colorectal cancer care continuum in the USA.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025Review
- Public interest in America on cardiac arrest following cardiovascular events of Bronny and Damar: A Google trend study.American heart journal plus : cardiology research and practice · 2024Article
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 at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction Public figures, namely celebrities, are highly influential people whose actions and thoughts are often emulated, especially regarding healthcare. Understanding trends in public interest may provide an opportunity for further patient education. Given the changes of the COVID-19 pandemic along with the highly publicized death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who died from complications of colon cancer, we analyzed trends in colon cancer searches over a 15-month period. Methods Google Trends (Google, Mountain View, California) was used to access search histories in the United States from January 1, 2020, through April 30, 2021. Four search terms were analyzed: "colon cancer", "colonoscopy", "Cologuard", and "virtual colonoscopy". Google Trends reports data as relative search volume (RSV), a scaled number from 0-100 reflecting interest in a particular search term over a set time. Search terms were analyzed on the same RSV scale with one-way ANOVAs comparing search volumes during four eight-week blocks. Results Google Trends data was reported weekly. Search volume for colon cancer was higher (17.3, p=0.00) over the eight weeks following Boseman's death, while search volume for colonoscopy returned to normal (21.5, p=0.95) when compared to pre-pandemic levels. Conclusion The peak in colon cancer searches in late August of 2020 corresponds to the death of Chadwick Boseman on 8/28/2020. Colonoscopy interest decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic before returning to previous levels around the time of Boseman's death without experiencing the same spike in interest. This discrepancy represents a missed opportunity for patient education on this preventable disease.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.