Author(s)
Bryant Obinna Noss, BS
Dana Naomi Eitan, BS
Patrick Scheffler, MD
Affiliation(s)
Creighton University School of Medicine Phoenix;
Abstract:
Educational Objective: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants should be able to understand the use of search engine data to gauge public interest in a topic, and have gained insight into the effect of dedicated awareness weeks on public cancer awareness.
Objectives: 1) To investigate if Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month (HNCAM) is effective in increasing public awareness of head and neck cancer in the U.S. by analyzing search terms from Google Trends data; 2) to compare the impact of HNCAM on head and neck cancer awareness to similar campaigns for breast and prostate cancer.
Study Design: Retrospective analysis of national search engine data.
Methods: Google Trends relative search volume (RSV) data was obtained from 2012 to 2021 for head and neck, oral, thyroid, and breast cancer. Median RSV's for each cancer were compared between awareness months and remainder of the year. Joinpoint regression was conducted to identify significant time points of changes in trend.
Results: Head and neck and oral cancer had significant median RSV increases of 20% and 13% (both p-values less than 0.05), respectively, whereas thyroid cancer did not. Significant joinpoints were found for breast cancer around its awareness month every year from 2012 to 2021, with the most substantial median increase in RSVs from 26.4 to 67.7 (p-value less than 0.01). Significant joinpoints were found around HNCAM in 2020 and 2021, but not prior. This was not found for thyroid and prostate cancer.
Conclusions: HNCAM is associated with a moderate increase in public interest in head and neck cancer, albeit to a smaller effect when compared with breast cancer. Investigating campaigns employed for breast cancer awareness and applying them to head and neck oncology may allow us to improve head and neck cancer awareness in the general population.