Oncology drug advertisements that ran in patient-focused cancer magazines presented the drugs' benefits differently -- earlier in the advertisement text and in larger type size -- than their side effects or risks, according to an analysis by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
The findings were presented the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Atlanta.
"Direct-to-consumer advertising of oncology medications typically focuses on the drugs' benefits, as would be expected, but it does so in a manner that might lead some cancer patients to not appreciate equally the drugs' potential side effects and risks," says Gregory Abel, MD, MPH, the study's first author. "Oncology providers should be aware of these advertisement characteristics, as they may influence patients' perceptions of and requests for these medications."
The researchers reviewed all advertisements for oncology drugs that appeared in three cancer patient-focused magazines, CURE, Coping with Cancer and MAMM, in 2005. They analyzed the advertisement copy for readability using the Flesch Reading Ease measurement. They also assessed the type size and the placement of the benefits and side effects/risk information, as well as the advertisements' presentation of clinical trial data, apparent patient testimonials, images of patients, physicians and/or celebrities, and claims about effectiveness, social-psychological enhancements, ease of use, and/or safety.