Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Tracking cancer conversations online: The Social Oncology Project 2013

Greg Matthews
Social media
June 7, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

As some 30,000 doctors, patient advocates, healthcare companies and journalists descended on Chicago for ASCO, there was a great deal of anticipation about what new research would be presented, and what kind of conversation and controversy might arise as a result.

That anticipation, it turns out, requires some patience, filtering, and a really big net.  In fact, the amount of clinical data available in oncology has increased exponentially over the last several years –the number of cancer-related journal articles posted to PubMed has increased 349% since 1999.  It should be no surprise that the number of cancer-related conversations has exploded in similar fashion. As those cancer-specific conversations continue to grow, it’s important to take a closer look at the physicians who are driving them. That desire to understand physicians’ online activity led to the publication of the MDigitalLife Social Oncology Project 2013.

This analysis, which tracked more than 16 million cancer-related conversations, illuminated a number of important things.  We know, for example, that even in an age in which we have more access to more sophisticated clinical data than ever before, the biggest drivers of online cancer conversations are awareness campaigns (e.g., Breast Cancer Awareness Month) and celebrity stories. To illustrate that latter point: Conversation about Leukemia didn’t budge with the amazing string of new drug approvals last year, but they did increase 1,000% when Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano announced that he had been diagnosed).

Another important learning was that, increasingly, there isn’t just one cancer conversation – there are distinct and recognizable conversations happening now about dozens of different cancer varieties – each with its own participants, preferred channels, media coverage, and physician influencers.  As we looked at physicians who were engaging in cancer conversations, we were pleased to see that not only is their number increasing, but also that their conversations are becoming increasingly more robust and sophisticated.

Using the MDigitalLife database of online physicians, we’ve been able to isolate, for the first time at scale, physicians’ cancer-related conversations as a subset of the whole. It’s a relatively simple matter to analyze topical trends on various cancer types and the doctors who are most active in discussing them. But what’s more interesting (and, we believe, valuable) is to know which physicians are discussed most actively by their physician peers.

As an example, Dr. Jennifer Gunter (@drjengunter) was only the 9th most active author of tweets about gynecological cancers – but she is the clear number one in terms of the physicians who are most mentioned by her peers in association with gynecological cancer discussions. Wendy Sue Swanson (@SeattleMamaDoc) is only the 19th most active physician in the same conversations, but is the 2nd-most mentioned.

And while it would be a mistake to accept the number of peer-mentions as a 1×1 proxy for influence, when physicians cite and engage with each other online, it is a strong indicator that the mentioned physician is either a) consistently engaged in creating and sharing strong, credible content online, and/or b) exceptionally well networked with a peer group that has formed around a specific topic area.

To connect with Dr. Gunter, Dr. Swanson and the other physicians who are most-mentioned in conversations about gynecological cancers, simply hover over each image in the attached Image Capsule to link to the physicians’ twitter account, blog and other available channels. Separate infographics will be posted this week covering breast cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer and lung cancer at w.cg/tsop13.

Greg Matthews is a group director, WCG (a W2O Group Company).  WCG is an independent strategic communications firm providing integrated solutions built upon clear, data-and-analytics-driven insights.

Prev

The ultimate DIY project: Create your own EMR

June 7, 2013 Kevin 3
…
Next

An important step toward cost transparency

June 7, 2013 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Oncology/Hematology, Twitter

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The ultimate DIY project: Create your own EMR
Next Post >
An important step toward cost transparency

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Greg Matthews

  • Gwyneth Paltrow and the New York Times should take Dr. Jen Gunter seriously

    Greg Matthews
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    2015’s biggest health story was broken by a doctor, not a reporter

    Greg Matthews
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Physician use of Twitter: Examining the data

    Greg Matthews

More in Social media

  • First impressions happen online—not in your exam room

    Sara Meyer
  • What teenagers on TikTok are saying about skin care—and why that’s a problem

    Khushali Jhaveri, MD
  • How social media and telemedicine are transforming patient care

    Jalene Jacob, MD, MBA
  • How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup

    Nigel Cameron, PhD
  • How I escaped the toxic grip of social media

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • Why doctors must fight health misinformation on social media

    Olapeju Simoyan, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • How federal actions threaten vaccine policy and trust

      American College of Physicians | Conditions
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
    • Are we repeating the statin playbook with lipoprotein(a)?

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Confessions of a lipidologist in recovery: the infection we’ve ignored for 40 years

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
  • Recent Posts

    • An addiction physician’s warning about America’s next public health crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gen Z’s DIY approach to health care

      Amanda Heidemann, MD | Education
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
    • Smart asset protection strategies every doctor needs

      Paul Morton, CFP | Finance
    • The silent cost of choosing personalization over privacy in health care

      Dr. Giriraj Tosh Purohit | Tech
    • How IMGs can find purpose in clinical research [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • How federal actions threaten vaccine policy and trust

      American College of Physicians | Conditions
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
    • Are we repeating the statin playbook with lipoprotein(a)?

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Confessions of a lipidologist in recovery: the infection we’ve ignored for 40 years

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • A physician employment agreement term that often tricks physicians

      Dennis Hursh, Esq | Finance
    • Why taxing remittances harms families and global health care

      Dalia Saha, MD | Finance
  • Recent Posts

    • An addiction physician’s warning about America’s next public health crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gen Z’s DIY approach to health care

      Amanda Heidemann, MD | Education
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
    • Smart asset protection strategies every doctor needs

      Paul Morton, CFP | Finance
    • The silent cost of choosing personalization over privacy in health care

      Dr. Giriraj Tosh Purohit | Tech
    • How IMGs can find purpose in clinical research [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Tracking cancer conversations online: The Social Oncology Project 2013
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...