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Cancer Misinformation - Dr. Skyler Johnson

As lifespan increases due to prevention and treatment of infectious disease and heart disorders, long-term issues like cancer become more prevalent. At the same time detection and treatments are becoming better, an increasing frequency of false information about detection and treatment obfuscates the public understanding of cancer treatment. In the worst-case scenarios, bogus claims and fake cures have the potential to do great harm, yet they dominate discussion on social media. Dr. Skyler Johnson is an Assistant Professor at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. We discuss his recent work in describing the depth of false information in cancer space.

Nov 12, 2022 by Dr. Kevin Folta in Talking Biotech

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"Cancer" is the generic term applying to any one of many cellular proliferative disorders that threaten normal physiology. Various cancers have specific etiologies and require expertise in detection and treatment. New therapies are as innovative as they are promising, and a once dreaded prognosis now may have increased opportunity for cure, with better therapies on the horizon. But as it goes, with innovation comes resistance, and false information about cancer and its treatment flourish on social media. Today's guest is Dr. Skyler Johnson from the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute. He describes his work as a radiation oncologist and how misinformation permeates online discussion of cancer, oftentimes with tragic outcomes.

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