As soon as I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I started reading, researching, and investigating. I hunted down every bit of information I could find about the disease that had somehow tunneled through my breast tissue. What I found kept me in the know. I felt informed and in control -- and a bit skittish too.My doctor once told me to stop reading. It was causing me too much worry, too much unnecessary stress. And while I didn't stop reading altogether, I did cut down on my Internet research. Since anyone can post anything on the Internet, it can be an iffy source of information. So iffy that some doctors -- like mine -- have expressed concern.
Doctors may be able to breathe a sigh of relief, though. According to a study published in the April issue of the International Journal of Medical Informatics, using the internet generally convinces patients that their doctors are right on track with their medical opinions.
Source: MAMM magazine, May/June 2007
1. Perusing the discussion board of an excellent non-profit organization called breastcancer.org, I came across a thread that talked about being disgusted with research articles. One poster remarked that there are several research articles which contradict previous research articles. It doesn't take long before you find another research article that contradicts the research. So who are you to believe?
Another poster stated that they were disgusted that they don't tell us who the researchers are working for. They see the same research being repeated over and over again, and who pays for it, gets what they want to hear. Their bias is showing in too many research papers. That's why you have to keep digging if you want to really find something out that's possibly close to reality.
Cancer medicine is a personalized service, one built around the uniqueness of each patient and the skilled physician's ability to design care accordingly. Sure, one can read scientific literature and understand statistics, bounce from one article to another, but does it help them to understand how that should influence the treatment of the individual?
Posted at 3:07PM on Aug 23rd 2007 by Gregory D. Pawelski