Cancer Information-seeking in an Age of COVID-19: Findings from the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service

ABSTRACT

Seeking cancer information is recognized as an important, life-saving behavior under normal circumstances. However, given the significant impact of COVID-19 on society, the healthcare system, and individuals and their families, it is important to understand how the pandemic has affected cancer information needs in a crisis context and, in turn, how public health agencies have responded to meeting the information needs of various audiences. Using data from the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service (CIS) – a long-standing, multi-channel resource for trusted cancer information in English and Spanish – this descriptive analysis explored differences in cancer information-seeking among cancer survivors, caregivers, tobacco users, and members of the general public during the onset and continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic (February – September 2020), specifically comparing interactions that involved a discussion of COVID-19 to those that did not. During the study period, COVID-19 discussions were more likely to involve survivors or caregivers compared to tobacco users and the general public. Specific patterns emerged across the four user types and their respective discussions of COVID-19 related to language of service, point of CIS access, stage on the cancer continuum, subject of interaction, cancer site discussed, and referrals provided by the CIS. These results provide insights that may help public health agencies deliver, prioritize, and tailor their messaging and response to specific audiences based on heightened health information needs during a crisis.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the assistance of entire staff of the CIS Contact Center at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Meghan Alleyne of the National Cancer Institute for their insights into the operations of NCI’s Cancer Information Service.

Disclosure of potential conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed by the authors are their own and this material should not be interpreted as representing the official viewpoint of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health or the National Cancer Institute.