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The most popular YouTube videos on prostate cancer often offer biased or misleading information about prostate cancer, posing potential health risks to patients.
According to the NYU School of Medicine and its Perlmutter Cancer Center in the United States, research has found that 77% of YouTube videos on prostate cancer contain factual errors or biased content, either in the comments or in the video. Misleading information about prostate cancer has serious consequences for people with the disease or who want to know more about the associated symptoms.
Misleading information about prostate cancer
The study revealed that 75% of the videos exhaustively described the benefits of various treatments, while only 53% were sufficiently aware of the disadvantages and potential adverse effects. Another 19% recommended alternative or complementary therapies that have not been proven. The researchers highlighted a potentially dangerous example in which a video promoted "injection of herbs" into the prostate to treat cancer, an assertion unsupported by medical evidence.
The researchers said the YouTube audience for the videos reviewed was broad, with an average total audience of 45,000, but up to 1.3 million.
More than 600,000 prostate cancer videos are published on the social media platform.
The credibility of YouTube videos
Researcher and urologist Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc, who chairs a group of social media experts from the American Urological Association (AAU), says, "Our study shows that people really need to be wary of many YouTube videos about prostate cancer. "
"They contain valuable information, but users need to check the source for credibility and be suspicious of the speed with which videos become obsolete, with care guidelines constantly evolving with science."
The latest US guidelines last year recommended that men aged 55 to 69 talk to their doctor about the risks and benefits of screening for prostate cancer.
Loeb describes the number of popular videos prior to this change and also encourages more aggressive treatment than is now considered medically necessary for a low-risk disease.
It is essential to avoid misleading information about prostate cancer
It is essential that health care providers refer their patients to reliable sources of information about prostate cancer. Loeb encourages other physicians and providers to participate in social media platforms such as YouTube to produce evidence-based video advice.
According to Loeb, the volume of videos on YouTube prevents medical experts from constantly reviewing them as part of any law enforcement effort. But, she adds, doctors and other viewers should use the YouTube reporting feature to alert their makers of videos containing misleading information.
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