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

The Cancer Moonshot should not occur on class lines

Rachel Mintz
Policy
January 29, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

Cancer. The ominous word instantaneously triggers fear and anxiety. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States, accounting for one in four deaths. Despite the attention cancer has garnered, an inequality exists. Patients without Internet access may not learn about possible therapeutic interventions. As we proceed with the “Moonshot” to better control cancer, we must assure that all patients reap its benefits.

Up until the late 1980s and early 1990s, the public did not have Internet access, and individuals had to simply trust their oncologists. Now, in the digital age, health information may appear to be pervasively available, but other factors limit access to technology and thus additional resources. In 2001, Lloyd Morrisett, president of the Markle Foundation, coined the term the “digital divide” to describe this widening division in technology accessibility. Individuals of low socioeconomic status do not readily have computer or Internet access. Even those who have Internet access cannot allocate time to investigating their illness while simultaneously working to finance treatment and caring for their families.

Today, patients fortunate to have Internet access and free time to investigate the web can independently uncover medical information online. There is a growing trend towards “medical consumerism,” in which individuals want to be active in making medical decisions. One study evaluating the information seeking behavior of cancer patients found that almost 69 percent of these patients stated they obtain information from at least one source other than their oncologists. The Internet was the most popular additional source. Due to the increased quantity of available information, patients and physicians may have a natural impetus to exert more effort in navigating and exploring all treatment options.

While some patients have access to health information, they may not be able to discern autonomously whether the information is reliable or understand the findings from scientific studies. Patients should not have to be fluent in scientific lexicon. Ideally, patients and doctors would be in constant conversation about the information patients seek. This communication would prevent patients from procuring inaccurate information, acquiring false hope, and pursuing unfeasible treatment options. However, greater information access also translates to patients exerting greater ownership of their treatment.

Patients may experience better outcomes when they participate in medical decision-making or believe they have control over their therapeutic decisions. Kate Beschen, a 39-year-old mother living with leukemia since 2012, was not satisfied with the conventional, linear approach to treatment her oncologist follows nor was she satisfied with the generic informational pamphlets he provided. So, she seeks her own information. She utilizes the Internet to investigate alternative approaches to medicine such as acupuncture, subscribes to leukemia newsletters, and monitors clinical trials.

In her research, she found an article describing a new pill to treat leukemia in lieu of chemotherapy. Kate presented the article to her oncologist who had no previous knowledge of the drug. Had Kate not taken control of her treatment and asserted herself, it is dubious that such a treatment option would have ever been considered. Following her treatment approach, Kate’s white cell count consistently increased by 20,000 every three months. Even though one cannot conclude definitively that her idiosyncratic treatment caused her medical success, her effort cannot be discounted as a likely contributor. The way in which Kate uncovers information to dictate her treatment may be necessary given the absence of patient-specific resources provided by oncologists and the limited, individual time doctors can realistically devote to patients.

Research indicates that invested, information-seeking patients, such as Kate, are more likely to receive better treatment because they feel empowered by asserting agency in their medical care. In a retrospective population-based study of colorectal cancer patients, people who used the media to obtain cancer treatment information were 2.8 times more likely to have heard about new targeted therapy and 3.2 times more likely to have received these treatments, compared to those who did not research their disease. This study indicates that patient inquiry is particularly important regarding new treatment because of variation in physician experience. Physicians who have limited experience with new drugs might not automatically prescribe them but could be encouraged to do so upon patient request. Is it fair that patients may miss out on better treatment opportunities because they are not omniscient medical mavens, monitoring emerging treatment? Simply put: no, it is not. It is not fair that those who are not computer savvy lack resources and consequently may forgo the most up-to-date, effective treatment.

Because procuring sound information is more difficult for those of low income, cancer treatment and community health centers should be proactive in supplying resources. Although doctors are busy, they should keep tabs on new treatments and provide specific pamphlets with this updated, accurate information in their offices for those who lack Internet access. Perhaps, doctors can itemize accessible scientific literature or accurate websites to be perused on office computers.

These methods of information dissemination will maximize educational benefits for all cancer patients, not just for those of certain demographics. Only then can we can facilitate a natural, interactive knowledge exchange between patients and oncologists, culminating in a joint treatment approach in which patients can auto-advocate and feel empowered. We must trust our doctors, but we also must be given the opportunity to trust ourselves. We are our own best advocates.

President Obama signed the Century Cures Act in December 2016 in which $1.8 billion was allocated for cancer research. As the Cancer Moonshot points out, great advances have been made. We are able to significantly extend life expectancy due to extensive and prolonged research endeavors. Cancers that were once considered terminal such as Kate’s leukemia are now treatable. While we may not be able to cure cancer promptly, we must change our current patient treatment system to make treatment more bearable and equitable. If our nation is allegedly working together to overcome cancer, how can we permit socioeconomic disparities to impact medical treatment? The Cancer Moonshot should not occur on class lines.

Rachel Mintz is a biomedical engineering student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The difficulty of maintaining relationships throughout medical training

January 29, 2017 Kevin 0
…
Next

Medicine is not destroying your marriage

January 29, 2017 Kevin 2
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Oncology/Hematology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The difficulty of maintaining relationships throughout medical training
Next Post >
Medicine is not destroying your marriage

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Cancer patients who want to take unproven supplements

    Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD
  • Hormone replacement therapy is still linked to cancer

    Martha Rosenberg
  • We have a shot at preventing cervical cancer

    Lisa N. Abaid, MD, MPH
  • Obstruction of medical justice: How health care fails patients with cancer

    Miriam A. Knoll, MD
  • Despite progress in cancer care, cost and equity challenges still must be addressed

    David M. Aboulafia, MD
  • Using the Avengers to explain how cancer treatments work

    Jennifer Lycette, MD

More in Policy

  • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

    AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section
  • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

    Joshua Vasquez, MD
  • Online eye exams spark legal battle over health care access

    Joshua Windham, JD and Daryl James
  • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

    Holland Haynie, MD
  • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

    Dave Cummings, RN
  • Healing the doctor-patient relationship by attacking administrative inefficiencies

    Allen Fredrickson
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How shared language saved a patient from isolation

      Syed Ahmad Moosa, MD | Physician
    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions

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 6 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

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How shared language saved a patient from isolation

      Syed Ahmad Moosa, MD | Physician
    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions

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

The Cancer Moonshot should not occur on class lines
6 comments

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

Loading Comments...