Journal of Cancer Education最新文献

The rapid integration of AI-driven chatbots into oncology education represents both a transformative opportunity and a critical challenge. These systems, powered by advanced language models, can deliver personalized, real-time cancer information to patients, caregivers, and clinicians, bridging gaps in access and availability. However, their ability to convincingly mimic human-like conversation raises pressing concerns regarding misinformation, trust, and their overall effectiveness in digital health communication. This review examines the dual-edged role of AI chatbots, exploring their capacity to support patient education and alleviate clinical burdens, while highlighting the risks of lack of or inadequate algorithmic opacity (i.e., the inability to see the data and reasoning used to make a decision, which hinders appropriate future action), false information, and the ethical dilemmas posed by human-seeming AI entities. Strategies to mitigate these risks include robust oversight, transparent algorithmic development, and alignment with evidence-based oncology protocols. Ultimately, the responsible deployment of AI chatbots requires a commitment to safeguarding the core values of evidence-based practice, patient trust, and human-centered care.

This study examines whether encountering cancer makes a difference and the perspectives and attitudes of parents of children with cancer. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with parents who applied to the emergency department of a hospital. Data were collected using a sociodemographic information form and the "Cancer Attitudes Questionnaire (Cancer Stigma)-Community Version." Mean, minimum, maximum, number, and percentages and comparison analyses (chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests) were performed. The significance level was a 95% confidence interval. The study was completed with a total of 362 parents, 120 of whom had children with cancer. Of the parents, 82.9% are mothers. The scale score of those who had a child with cancer was 3.34 and 3.22 for those who did not have a child with cancer. The scale score was affected by the number of children (p=0.008), mother's occupation (p=0.00), parents' educational status (mother p=0.05; father p=0.03), family type (p=0.00), family economic status (p=0.02), religious perception (p=0.01), child's age (p=0.001), gender (p=0.00), type of treatment (p=0.00), and previous hospital experience (p=0.006). The findings revealed that parents' attitudes towards cancer were negative regardless of whether they experienced cancer or not. Personal characteristics such as family type, parental occupation, and educational status, as well as disease-related characteristics such as the type of the child's disease (acute or chronic) and the type of treatment, affect the direction of attitudes. It is recommended that stigmatization be included in individual and community education on health. Especially for patients, the feelings and effects of stigmatization can be included. It is also recommended to include an empathic approach in education.

Female patients and physicians experience gender-based challenges in medicine. We aimed to evaluate the extent of training on gender disparities in patient care and equity among physicians by hematology-oncology (HO) programs, along with barriers to training implementation. We conducted an online survey of 171 HO fellowship program directors (PDs) registered in the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) or participating in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We asked about perceived importance of gender equity (GE), extent of GE training provided, and barriers to providing it. Responses were recorded using Likert scales, multiple choice, and open-ended responses. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Fifty-six program directors completed the survey (32.7%). Most felt training in GE issues is "somewhat" to "very" important to patient care (69.6%) and the physician workforce (80.4%). However, most reported their programs do not provide training in GE regarding patient care (83.9%) or the physician workforce (78.6%), most commonly due to lack of resources. Most were interested in resources for patient (93.9%) and physician (88.6%) GE. Programs were open to sharing training materials for patient (44.4%) and physician (66.7%) GE. While most HO PDs feel that GE training is important for patient care and the physician workforce, most fellowships do not offer such training primarily due to lack of resources. Given the interest for more educational GE resources, there are opportunities to develop and share materials to enhance GE training for future HO physicians.

Print and online media play a crucial role in shaping public understanding of diseases like prostate cancer (PCa), particularly through reporting on public figures. However, such media coverage can introduce bias by providing incomplete or non-evidence-based information. This study aimed to assess potential bias by applying a standardized rubric to articles discussing PCa in public figures. Articles were sourced from LexisNexis® using the terms "prostate cancer" and the name of a public figure diagnosed with the disease. The study analyzed 147 articles covering 49 public figures, selected based on relevance from top-circulation publications between 1994 and 2024. Of these, 95.9% had unbiased titles, 35.4% included expert quotes, and 27.2% mentioned risk factors such as age, race, and family history. However, 25.9% of the articles exhibited bias supporting PCa screening, and only 16.3% referenced scientific studies. Additionally, among the 45 articles published when shared decision-making (SDM) was the standard of care for screening decisions, only one referenced this concept. Thus, while titles were generally unbiased, statements supporting screening, low rates of scientific referencing, and minimal reference to SDM highlight limitations of this reporting that may bias readers' understanding of prostate cancer detection and treatment. These findings may provide a window into how reporting on medical conditions in public figures, which can influence readers' perceptions of disease, can improve in quality and completeness.

Obesity and cancer are two of the most significant global public health concerns worldwide. Exercise in preventing and managing these diseases has become a prominent area of research, and BSc sport and exercise science (SES) graduates are among the professionals involved in designing exercise programs for these populations. The aims of the present study were (1) to quantify the number of teaching hours focused on exercise in patients with cancer or overweight/obesity and (2) to collect perceptions of SES teachers of whether these hours are enough to prescribe exercise to these populations adequately. An online survey was sent to 97 university teachers from 58 different institutions in Spain offering the sport and exercise sciences degree. The survey included questions designed to ascertain the number of hours lectured on the topics of exercise and cancer or overweight/obesity. Additionally, it aimed to gather teachers' perceptions of how prepared students were to work with these populations. Seventy-six teachers (representing a 78% response rate) from 52 different centers (representing 88% of the centers) completed the survey. The teachers reported an average of 8.7 class hours dedicated to exercise and cancer and 17.1 class hours dedicated to exercise in patients with overweight/obesity. Teachers expressed low satisfaction with the number of class hours allocated to cancer education (2.2 points out of 5) and a neutral response regarding the allocation of hours to overweight/obesity (3.1 points out of 5). The findings of the current study suggest that Spanish SES students may be receiving a limited amount of instruction in the area of exercise prescription for patients with cancer and overweight/obesity. Although the curriculum is explicitly dedicated to training SES students, teachers believe that additional training in specific exercise prescription for people with cancer would enhance SES qualifications.

Gastric cancer (GC) has a poor prognosis. The LEGACy consortium has been established to enhance GC outcomes though improved primary and secondary prevention strategies. We performed an educational intervention study using an online module to disseminate knowledge about GC risk factors and symptoms to the general population. Participants were recruited through various media channels and were exposed to an online questionnaire to assess their knowledge, before and after the educational intervention. The educational intervention included an informative brochure and a short video providing essential information about GC. Primary outcome was to evaluate the overall knowledge (global score) before and after the intervention. A total of 1034 participants were evaluated before the intervention. Of those, 866 also completed the short-term and 362 the long-term questionnaire after the intervention, respectively. On a scale of 0 to 17, the baseline global score mean was 9.4 (3.2). Results showed an increase in the average global knowledge score by 1.80 (95% CI: 1.63-1.96, p < 0.001) and 1.81 (95% CI: 1.65-1.96, p < 0.001) points after completing the short and long-term questionnaires compared to the baseline respectively for all individual questions (p < 0.05). This interventional study showed significantly improved knowledge in most domains on GC risk factors, signs, and symptoms which could be a useful strategy for promoting cancer prevention. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04019808.

Radiotherapy continues to be a cornerstone treatment in head and neck cancer management despite the potential related adverse events. However, the availability of evidence-based Arabic patient educational materials on radiotherapy for cancer patients and caregivers is limited, which significantly impacts patient understanding, compliance, and decision-making. This is a prospective survey-based study of 30 head and neck cancer patients undergoing radical intent radiotherapy after receiving educational materials in electronic leaflets and videos. These were distributed to patients and their caregivers during their first clinical visit using a quick response code (QR Code) or near-field communication (NFC) tag. At the end of radiotherapy, we surveyed to assess the impact of the educational material on ER visits, stress levels, self-care, and treatment-related anxiety. Of the 30 head and neck cancer patients, 29 (97%) preferred audiovisual materials over leaflets, citing it was easier to follow and understand. About 18 (60%) reported that they are "highly likely" or likely to seek additional information regarding their condition online. The majority of patients reported that the material improved treatment understanding increased their awareness of self-care 27 (90%), alleviated treatment-related anxiety 21 (70%), and reduced the need for unnecessary ER visits 20 (67%). Arabic speakers undergoing radiotherapy to the head and neck region benefited greatly from providing evidence-based Arabic educational material. Patients preferred audio-visual education over reading material. Patient education translated into better patient satisfaction, improved self-care, and reduced anxiety leading to a reduction in unnecessary ER visits according to our subset of patients.