Google search engine analytics for cancer immunotherapy: What patients are searching for on the internet and where they find answers.

Abstract

11036 Background: Immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer has been on the rise and is on the forefront of current cancer research. As such, patients are increasingly turning to the Internet and online resources to answer their questions. For any given Google search, artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms generate a “People Also Ask” (PAA) section which returns the most commonly associated questions to the original search query, with corresponding websites to answer those questions. Using a search engine optimization (SEO) tool, we determined the most frequently searched terms and questions regarding cancer immunotherapy online, and the websites used to answer them. Methods: The top Google search queries and PAA questions with associated volume metrics were extracted for the terms “immunotherapy” and “cancer immunotherapy” using an SEO tool. PAA questions and corresponding websites were categorized by specific topic and Rothwell’s classification system. Websites were further quality assessed using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria. Results: Global searches for cancer immunotherapy increased significantly each year since 2015. Countries with the most search volume were the U.S. (44%), the U.K. (12%), and India (11%). PAAs (n = 674) and the most frequently searched questions regarding cancer immunotherapy, by average monthly search volume (searches per month), were on: definitions/how it works (n = 6.6K, 21.3%), side effects (n = 4.4K, 14.2%), cost (n = 2.9K, 9.4%), immunotherapy vs. chemotherapy (n = 1.8K, 5.8%), drug options (n = 1.7K, 5.5%), signs immunotherapy is working (n = 1.2K, 3.9%), different types of immunotherapy (n = 1.1K, 3.5%), route of administration (n = 800, 2.6%), efficacy/success rate (n = 800, 2.6%), and effect on life expectancy (n = 300, 1.0%). The top cancers that patients searched immunotherapy treatments for were: lung (n = 1.9K, 23.2%), melanoma (n = 1.5K, 18.3%), pancreatic (n = 700, 8.5%), breast (n = 600, 7.3%), and bladder (n = 500, 6.1%). The most queried immunotherapy drugs were Pembrolizumab/Keytruda (n = 87K), Nivolumab/Opdivo (n = 33K), and Ipilimumab/Yervoy (n = 11.1K). Websites used to answer PAA questions were mostly those of academic institutions (n = 294, 43.6%), commercial organizations (n = 167, 24.8%), and government databases (n = 126, 18.7%). Conclusions: The field of cancer immunotherapy is rapidly evolving and patients often look to the Internet to answer their latest questions. Using our findings, academic institutions, commercial organizations, and physicians involved in multi-disciplinary cancer care can cater their patient communications and websites to more directly align with patients’ most common questions and concerns on immunotherapy.