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Photo taken from Mark Lewis/Twitter

Nov 23, 2023, 16:16

Mark Lewis: Oncology has a PR problem

Mark Lewis shared a post by Jeff Ryckman, on X/Twitter, adding:

“Oncology has a PR problem

History will judge us harshly for being blunt instruments but the arc is bending towards greater precision and less indiscriminate toxicity”

Quoting Jeff Ryckman‘s post:

“Radiotherapy sentiment in The New York Times is eye-opening. Since 2009, over half of articles show negative bias towards RT, while only 1/4 are positive. Despite major advancements in tech like MR-Linac, adaptive RT, & heavy ions, media celebration is scarce.

Our accuracy is within 2-3mm. VMAT improves treatment times w/o compromising safety or efficacy. Yet, these advancements seem overshadowed by negative perceptions. Studies showing significant survival improvements don’t make headlines like they would if they were about a new drug

This lack of media attention could be due to the absence of substantial marketing budgets in radiotherapy, unlike the pharmaceutical industry. We don’t have the luxury to market our treatments aggressively.

We must advocate for radiation oncology and monitor media portrayal, as our influence is less than that of the pharmaceutical lobby, despite being a cost-effective cancer treatment. I’m skeptical of The New York Times‘s understanding of modern radiotherapy. We hope other news outlets like The Free Press

Will represent our field more fairly. We need balanced media representation of all cancer treatments for our patients.

It’s worth analyzing systemic therapy coverage in The New York Times too, which I suspect is overly positive despite possible lack of survival or quality of life benefits.

The authors deserve credit for highlighting the evolving sentiments towards RT. Through persistence and focus on data, we can combat sensationalism and clickbait.”

Source: Mark Lewis/Twitter and Jeff Ryckman/Twitter

Mark A. Lewis is the Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, the Co-Chair of adolescent & young adult (AYA) oncology in the SWOG cooperative group, and the Vice President of American Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Support. Dr. Lewis is also a well-known patient advocate and social media influencer.