COSMO 2026 — Social Media in Oncology

MEET THE COURSE DIRECTORS DON DIZON, MD, FACP, FASCO Tufts Medicine Senior Advisor, 2026 COSMO SHIKHA JAIN, MD UI Health Women in Medicine(R) Senior Advisor, 2026 COSMO ERIC SINGHI, MD UT MD Anderson Cancer Center Co-Chair, 2026 COSMO KARINE TAWAGI, MD University of Illinois Chicago Co-Chair, 2026 COSMO COSMO CONFERENCE - A WM VERITAS INITIATIVE

[Digital Media Useful for Raising Awareness and Dissemination of Evidence-Based Information] Digital Media Useful for Raising Awareness and Dissemination of Evidence-Based Information Prostate Cancer Genetics PODCAST Campaign creative tiles and their metrics: "1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime." Reach 4,872 Impressions 6,158 "Breast cancer and prostate cancer may be related because they can arise from the same gene mutation in a family." Reach 1,943 Impressions 2,633 "Every 3 minutes, a man in the U.S. is diagnosed with prostate cancer." Reach 4,301 Impressions 4,872 "Men who have a relative with prostate cancer are twice as likely to develop the disease." Reach 2,170 Impressions 2,561 - Prospective study showing a podcast series is useful to provide public education on prostate cancer genetics [Funded by the Department of Defense] - Prospective study showing a sponsored ad campaign on Facebook raises awareness about prostate cancer risk [Funded by a Prostate Cancer Foundation Challenge Award] COSMO CONFERENCE - A WM VERITAS INITIATIVE --- [Misinformation is Widespread - prostate cancer content across platforms] Misinformation is Widespread- Evaluation of Prostate Cancer Content Across Platforms YouTube 42% of top 150 videos had some misinformation Instagram 41% of posts with objective information was misinformative TikTok 41% of posts with objective information was misinformative Pinterest 15% of pins in search for prostate cancer have misinformation Podcasts 13% contained moderate to high misinformation Supported by the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Department of Defense References (partially legible on slide): Loeb et al. Eur Urol Focus 2020, 15; 6(3): 437. Herbert et al. JMIR Cancer 2022; 8: e36244 Xu et al. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2022; 25: 791. Xu et al. BJU Int 2021; 128: 435. Scott et al. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Disease COSMO CONFERENCE - A WM VERITAS INITIATIVE --- [In Progress: R01 on Guideline-Discordant Information on Social Media in Prostate Cancer] In Progress: R01 on Guideline-Discordant Information on Social Media in Prostate Cancer Aim 1: Typology of guideline-discordant/inaccurate information on social media in English and Spanish - Review of online posts - Qualitative study with healthcare providers and community health workers Qualitative study of perceptions of Black and/or Hispanic/Latinx patients about guideline-discordant posts Randomized trial of a digital skills intervention COSMO CONFERENCE - A WM VERITAS INITIATIVE --- [Examples of Online Misinformation about Prostate Cancer] Examples of Online Misinformation about Prostate Cancer (X) Prostate cancer is sexually transmitted (X) Too much masturbation causes it (X) Recommending alkaline diet or no sugar (X) Specific foods (e.g, cookies) lower PSA (X) Herbal teas and juices cure cancer (X) Special smoothies stop cancer (X) Melatonin, ivermectin, fenbendazole cure cancer (X) Lower urinary tract symptoms and bone pain are early warning signs (X) Prostate enlargement is a precursor to cancer (X) BPH medications cause cancer (X) Outdated guidelines against PSA (X) Digital rectal examination is required yearly (X) Do not have a biopsy Biopsies spread cancer COSMO CONFERENCE - A WM VERITAS INITIATIVE

[Potential of social media for dissemination (Clara Lee)] Potential of social media for dissemination - Use the internet: 96% - Have broadband: 78% - Use smartphones: 86% - On social media: 81% - Breast cancer survivors' age group: fastest growth in social media usage - Next generation of survivors will have used internet and social media their entire lives Pew Research Center 2025 --- [JAMA Oncology - Assessment of AI Chatbot Responses to Top Searched Queries About Cancer] JAMA Oncology | Brief Report Assessment of Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Responses to Top Searched Queries About Cancer Alexander Pan, BS; David Musheyev, BA; Daniel Bockelman, BS; Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc, PhD; Abdo E. Kabarriti, MD 4 AI chatbots - ChatGPT v3.5 - Perplexity - Chatsonic - Bing AI Inputs: Top 5 search queries about top 5 cancers - Skin - Lung - Breast - Colorectal - Prostate - Quality was generally good (median DISCERN 5/5) - No misinformation - Poor actionability (median 20% on PEMAT) - College reading level COSMO CONFERENCE - A WM VERITAS INITIATIVE --- [JAMA Network Open - Effect of Racial Concordance on Patient Trust in Online Prostate Cancer Videos] The Effect of Racial Concordance on Patient Trust in Online Videos About Prostate Cancer A Randomized Clinical Trial Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc; Joseph E. Ravenell, MD, MS; Scarlett Lin Gomez, MPH, PhD; Hala T. Borno, MD; Katherine Siu, MS; Tatiana Sanchez Nolasco, MPH; Nataliya Byrne, BA; Godfrey Wilson, MPA; Derek M. Griffith, PhD; Rob Crocker; Robert Sherman, BA; Samuel L. Washington III, MD, MAS; Aisha T. Langford, MPH, PhD Multivariable analysis adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, education, personal cancer history, health literacy, eHealth literacy, and medical mistrust Black adults White adults Race of speaker (Black vs. White) 1.62 (1.28-2.05), p<0.001 1.11 (0.83-1.48), p=0.49 Type of Speaker (Patient vs. Physician) 0.63 (0.49-0.80), p<0.001 0.71 (0.54-0.95), p=0.02 Video Topic (Clinical Trial vs. Screening) 0.78 (0.62-0.99), p=0.04 0.57 (0.42-0.76), p<0.001 JAMA Network Open 2023 (citation partially obscured on slide) COSMO CONFERENCE - A WM VERITAS INITIATIVE

[Global Focus on Cancer - transforming lived experience into meaningful cancer care] Global Focus On Cancer Transforming lived experience into meaningful cancer care. - People-centered care - Meaningful engagement - Evidence-based implementation - Research - Global partnerships --- [Global Focus on Cancer - Fifteen Years Later] Fifteen Years Later..... What began with listening grew into meaningful action. SUPPORT Stronger Together Evidence-based peer support improving wellbeing and treatment engagement. EMPOWER V.O.I.C.E. Building advocacy leadership and strengthening civil society across Africa. UNDERSTAND GRACE Gender-responsive implementation research to improve equitable care. CONNECT SE Asia Breast Cancer Symposium Regional education, collaboration and shared regional learning. SYSTEMS CHANGE WHO | Lancet | ASCO | ICCP and others Translating lived experience into policy, implementation and global guidance. 25 + COUNTRIES | 250 + PARTNERSHIPS PEOPLE-CENTERED - MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT - RESEARCH - IMPLEMENTATION - PARTNERSHIP --- [Global Focus on Cancer - countries of operation] [World map with highlighted countries, labelled:] New York Switzerland Italy West Bank Israel Jordan India Nepal Hong Kong Thailand Vietnam Kenya Tanzania South Africa [The United States, China, India, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Italy are shaded on the map.]

[COSMO 2026 agenda - Saturday, August 8, morning programme] COSMO CONFERENCE - A VERITAS Women in Medicine Initiative COSMO 2026 CONFERENCE AGENDA Saturday, August 8 - Morning Program TIME | SESSION | SPEAKER(S) 8:00-8:15 AM | Introductory Remarks | COSMO Leadership 8:15-9:00 AM | Science and Health Care Communication: Developing Your Digital Voice | Eleanora Teplinsky, MD - Head of Breast and Gynecologic Medical Oncology, Valley Health System Matthew Tyler, MD - Medical Director, Palliative Care, Ascension Illinois Eric Singhi, MD - Assistant Professor and Thoracic Medical Oncologist, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 9:00-9:30 AM | AI Bias, Data Integrity, and Equity in Digital Oncology | Karine Tawagi, MD - Hematologist/Oncologist, University of Illinois Chicago, Co-Chair, COSMO 2026 Anai Kothari, MD, MS - Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin Chadi Nabhan, MD, MBA - Chief Medical Officer and Head of Strategy, Ryght AI 9:30-10:15 AM | The Role of Podcasts in Advancing Oncology | Shaalan Beg, MD - UT Southwestern Medical Center, Internal Medicine David Bjork - Host, Research Evangelist Podcast Shruti Patel, MD Jack West, MD - Vice President, Global Medical Affairs, Summit Therapeutics 10:15-11:00 AM | The Global Face of Cancer: Seeing Cancer Through a Human Lens | Carolyn Taylor - Founder and Executive Director, Global Focus on Cancer [--]-11:45 AM | Lunch Break [--]-12:30 PM | Lunch Panel | Sponsored by Pfizer [--] PM | Lunch Break --- [COSMO 2026 agenda - Saturday, August 8, afternoon programme] COSMO CONFERENCE COSMO 2026 CONFERENCE AGENDA Saturday, August 8 - Afternoon Program TIME | SESSION | SPEAKER(S) 1:00-1:45 PM | It Takes a Team: Multidisciplinary Voices in Oncology Social Media | Darcy Burbage, DNP, RN, AOCN, LSSYB - Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Global Oncology Nursing Consultant Joseph McCollom, DO - Medical Director of Palliative and Survivorship Oncology, Parkview Health Kelsey Mora, LCPC - Chief Clinical Officer, Pickles Group Eric Singhi, MD - Assistant Professor and Thoracic Medical Oncologist, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Krystle Zuniga, PhD, RD, CSO, LD - Assistant Professor of Instruction, Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin 1:45-2:05 PM | Dissemination of Research Through Social Media | Clara Lee, MD, MPP, FACS - Professor, UNC Chapel Hill; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center 2:05-2:25 PM | From Misinformation to Impact: How Online Content Shapes Prostate Cancer Care | Stacy Loeb, MD - Professor of Urology and Population Health, NYU Langone Health 2:25-3:10 PM | Curating a Digital Presence to Support Career Evolution | Shannon MacLauchlan David, MD, MS - Founder, SMacDavidMD Sameena Rahman, MD - Clinical Assistant Professor, Northwestern Medicine Tiffany Troso-Sandoval, MD - Physician and Founder, Winning The Cancer Journey, LLC and Second Look Oncology, PLLC; Medical Oncologist 3:10-3:50 PM | Patient Voices | Megan-Claire Chase - Breast Cancer Survivor and Advocate Clara Cirks - Stage 4 Lung Cancer Patient and Advocate Stephanie Graff, MD - Director of Breast Oncology, Brown University Health Kimberly Richardson - Founder, Black Cancer Collaborative 3:50-4:00 PM | Closing Remarks | WIM Leadership

REVIEW ARTICLE Cancer misinformation on social media Stacy Loeb MD, MSc, PhD (Hon) 1,2,3 | Aisha T. Langford PhD, MPH 4 | Marie A. Bragg PhD 2,5 | Robert Sherman BA 6 | June M. Chan ScD 7,8 1 Department of Urology, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA 2 Department of Population Health, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA 3 Department of Surgery, Manhattan Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New York, New York, USA 4 Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA 5 Marketing Department, Stern School of Business, New York University, New York, New York, USA 6 Stakeholder Advisory Board, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York, USA 7 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA 8 Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA Correspondence: Stacy Loeb, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 227 East 30th Street, No. 612, New York, NY 10016, USA. Email: stacyloeb@gmail.com Funding information: National Institutes of Health, Grant/Award Number: R01 CA278997 Abstract Social media is widely used globally by patients, families of patients, health professionals, scientists, and other stakeholders who seek and share information related to cancer. Despite many benefits of social media for cancer care and research, there is also a substantial risk of exposure to misinformation, or inaccurate information about cancer. Types of misinformation vary from inaccurate information about cancer risk factors or unproven treatment options to conspiracy theories and public relations articles or advertisements appearing as reliable medical content. Many characteristics of social media networks-such as their extensive use and the relative ease it allows to share information quickly-facilitate the spread of misinformation. Research shows that inaccurate and misleading health-related posts on social media often get more views and engagement (e.g., likes, shares) from users compared with accurate information. Exposure to misinformation can have downstream implications for health-related attitudes and behaviors. However, combatting misinformation is a complex process that requires engagement from social media platforms, scientific and health experts, governmental organizations, and the general public. Cancer experts, for example, should actively combat misinformation in real time and should disseminate evidence-based content on social media. Health professionals should give information prescriptions to patients and families and support health literacy. Patients and families should vet the quality of cancer information before acting upon it (e.g., by using publicly available checklists) and seek recommended resources from health care providers and trusted organizations. Future multidisciplinary research is needed to identify optimal ways of building resilience and combating misinformation across social media. KEYWORDS digital health, fake news, health literacy, misinformation, social media

[Patients as Partners] PATIENTS AS PARTNERS Patients contribute lived experience, while HCPs provide clinical and scientific knowledge. Together, they can create trusted, accessible, impactful content. Patient Advocate Brings | Healthcare Professional Brings | Shared Outcome Lived experience | Clinical expertise | Trusted education Community perspective | Evidence interpretation | Better health literacy Authentic storytelling | Medical accuracy | Reduced misinformation Patient priorities | Research context | More patient-centered communication Peer support | Professional credibility | Increased trust What this looks like in practice for advocates: Rare & niche disease For rare driver mutations or niche malignancies, social media communities are often the only place to crowdsource experience and find specialized centers. Bridging geographic gaps Patient advocates help bridge geographic gaps, often helping marginalized and community-based patients discover trials and information they wouldn't otherwise access. Collaborators, not megaphones True engagement means treating advocates as peer collaborators in the digital space, not just a vehicle to retweet institutional press releases. COSMO CONFERENCE - A WM VERITAS INITIATIVE --- [Social Media Usage - platform reach by age band] SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE Social media offers a scalable platform for education Wide reach across demographics | Real-time information sharing | Cost-effective communication | Engages younger populations Platform | Primary use | 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | Total users (global, 2026) Facebook | Broad audience, community building | 68% | 80% | 74% | 57% | ~3.1B MAU Instagram | Visual storytelling | 80% | 62% | 40% | 19% | ~2B+ MAU YouTube | Most popular - in-depth education | 95% | 92% | 85% | 64% | ~2.7B MAU TikTok | Short-form, high engagement | 63% | 44% | 30% | 12% | ~1.8B MAU X (Twitter)| Rapid real-time scientific conversation | 33% | 25% | 16% | 10% | ~550-600M MAU LinkedIn | Professional education & networking | 29%a | 41%a | - | 15%a| ~1.3B members Snapchat | Ephemeral messaging, younger audience | 58% | 31% | 13% | 4% | ~956M MAU Threads | Text-based conversation, emerging community | 15% | 10% | 6% | 3% | ~400M MAU Footnote (partially legible): U.S. adults in that age group who use the platform. LinkedIn age data from a separate Pew release (overall U.S. adults ... platform view). Sources: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use 2025 (age data); DataReportal, Backlinko, and Sprout ... not reported. Podcasts remain a valuable long-form complement not ... (total users, rounded estimates). CONFERENCE --- [Breakout Groups - SWOT prompts] BREAKOUT GROUPS Example question: How can advocates balance hope with realism when discussing promising new therapies? Use these themes when answering the questions: Strengths What is working well? What opportunities does social media create? Weaknesses What are the limitations or unintended consequences? Opportunities Where can we improve? What should we be doing differently? Threats What concerns or challenges worry you most? --- [Challenges of Social Media] CHALLENGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA Pitfalls and Risks - Misinformation - Lack of content regulation - Privacy concerns (HIPAA) - Digital divide limiting access - Potential for misinterpretation Misinformation Challenges - Non-evidence-based treatments - Screening myths - Distrust in healthcare systems - Viral spread of inaccurate content Strategies to Mitigate - Fact-check and cite credible sources - Use clear, simple language - Engage trusted voices - Report harmful misinformation - Encourage critical thinking Sources (small print, partially legible): World Health Organization, Infodemic Management and Health Misinformation. Office of the Surgeon General, Advisory on Health Misinformation (2021). Vraga EK, Bode L. Political Communication, 2019. Wang Y et al. Social Science & Medicine, 2019. COSMO CONFERENCE - A WM VERITAS INITIATIVE

Prompt A: The Gap What is the biggest barrier you've faced or witnessed in your career advancement? Who or what helped you bridge it? Prompt B: The Gift Think of a mentor, sponsor or advocate who genuinely changed your [career] trajectory. What spec[ifically] did they do? And [how can] that same [thing hap]pen in a digital [space]? [A flip chart in front of the screen reads: DEBRIEF - GAP: narrow role, who to path, synergy/isolation to grow your (?) mentors/sponsors/advocates, GI screening, mentoring. GIFT: pinpoint event, more opportunities, ripple effect, connectivity.] COSMO CONFERENCE