1. Don’t focus on lung cancer survival statistics.

These are averages for broad populations gathered over many years, may include data from medical centers that do not treat a lot of lung cancer patients, and may not reflect recent advances in lung cancer treatment.  Your cancer is unique to you, and many considerations will factor into your survival. You do not have an expiration date printed anywhere on your body.

2. Start reading at trusted websites and social media sites.

• Lung cancer nonprofits
• Professional medical societies related to lung cancer
• Government organizations focused on cancer
• Academic cancer centers that specialize in lung cancer research and treatment

3. Look for blogs and moderated online communities focused on your type of cancer.
4. Carefully evaluate cancer stories and treatment claims.

• What is the purpose of the study or website? Who controls it?
• Who paid for it?
• What are the credentials of the author(s)?
• Who reviewed the information?
• Does it present fact, or opinion? Does it provide authoritative references to support its claims, or does it rely on anecdotes?
• How current is the information?
• Do the headlines use expansive terms that reflect hype, like “breakthrough,” “groundbreaking,” “innovation” and “cure”?

Learn More About Evaluating Online Cancer Information: 

• Evaluating Online Information (Georgetown University Library)
• How To Evaluate Health Information On The Internet (National Institutes of Health)
• Evaluating Health Information (National Library of Medicine) – includes a great video tutorial
• Evaluating Cancer Information on the Internet (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
• Cancer Treatment Scams (Federal Trade Commission)
• Fake Cancer “Cures” Consumers Should Avoid (Food and Drug Administration)
• How Do You Know If a Research Study Is Any Good? (Elsevier, Science Writers of New York)

Last updated 22-Oct-2017