Fear and Medical Misinformation Regarding Risk of Progression or Recurrence Among Patients with Breast Cancer

Among patients with breast cancer, how common is exposure to medical misinformation, and is such exposure associated with fear of cancer recurrence or lower adherence to treatment?In this survey study of 997 individuals with a history of breast cancer, 76% reported that they encountered medical misinformation. Exposure to misinformation was not significantly associated with clinically significant fear of cancer recurrence or self-reported treatment nonadherence.In this study, exposure to medical misinformation was not associated with fear of cancer recurrence or treatment nonadherence, but exposure to such misinformation was reported by a vast majority of participants.

Corresponding Author: Kaitlyn Lapen, MD, Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2375 York Ave, New York, NY 10065 (lapenk@mskcc.org).

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