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Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 25, No 10 (April 1), 2007: pp. 1267-1271
© 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology.
DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2006.09.5968

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Direct-to-Consumer Advertising in Oncology: A Content Analysis of Print Media

Gregory A. Abel, Stephanie J. Lee, Jane C. Weeks

From the Center for Outcomes and Policy Research, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA

Address reprint requests to Jane C. Weeks, MD, MSc, Center for Outcomes and Policy Research, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney St, Smith 271, Boston, MA 02115; e-mail: jane_weeks{at}dfci.harvard.edu

Purpose Content analysis of cancer-related direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), with a focus on how benefit and risk/adverse effect information is presented, is essential to understanding its potential impact on oncology outcomes.

Methods We reviewed all oncology DTCA appearing in three patient-focused cancer magazines and a sample of selected popular magazines from January 2003 to June 2006. We determined the Flesch reading ease score (FRES) for the text in each advertisement (a score ≥ 65 is readable for the average person). We also assessed the proportion, type size, and placement of benefits and risks/adverse effects, as well as the nature and content of advertising appeals.

Results Of 284 advertisements identified, 49 were unique. Oncology-related DTCA was rare in the popular magazines, and appeared mostly in those aimed at female readership. About equal amounts of text were devoted to benefits and risks/adverse effects, and all text was difficult to read. The mean FRES for benefit text was 39.71; for risk/adverse effect text, it was 38.22, a difference of 1.49 (95% CI, –4.02 to 7.00). The largest font size for benefits was 4.60 mm on average; for risks/adverse effects, it was 2.38 mm, a difference of 2.22 mm (95% CI, 1.35 to 3.09). Appeals to medication effectiveness were frequent (95%) and often made with clinical trial data (61%).

Conclusion Oncology print DTCA is prevalent in cancer-related, patient-directed magazines, and infrequent in the popular press. The information presented is considerably difficult to read, raising important questions about the appropriateness of direct-to-consumer marketing for oncologic medications.

Supported by a US Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Services Training Grant (G.A.A.).

Presented in part at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Onoclogy, June 2-6, 2006, Atlanta, GA.

Authors’ disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and author contributions are found at the end of this article.


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G. A. Abel, H. J. Burstein, N. D. Hevelone, and J. C. Weeks
Cancer-Related Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: Awareness, Perceptions, and Reported Impact Among Patients Undergoing Active Cancer Treatment
J. Clin. Oncol., September 1, 2009; 27(25): 4182 - 4187.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]



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Copyright © 2007 by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Online ISSN: 1527-7755. Print ISSN: 0732-183X
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