Impact of COVID-19 on public’s interest in radiotherapy and other cancer treatments: a cross-sectional Google Trends analysis

Kaidi Wang, Anthony K. Guzman, Gary D. Lewis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 has significantly impacted cancer care. While previous studies have emphasized treatment modification and prioritized the delivery of cancer care, few have examined this issue from the public perspective. Materials and methods: In the following study, we examine how public interest in various forms of cancer treatment has evolved during the pandemic using Google Trends. One-way ANOVA and linear regression tests were used to compare the mean search volume indices of three periods: pre-lockdown, lockdown, and reopening. Results/Conclusions: Our findings suggest that public interest in cancer treatments decreased during lockdown and returned after reopening but, in general, is still lower than pre-lockdown levels.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)387-391
Number of pages5
JournalReports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy
Volume27
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Chemotherapy
  • Covid-19
  • Google trends
  • Public interest
  • Radiation therapy
  • Surgical oncology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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