Do Social Media Users Feel Better Informed About Breast Cancer Treatment? A Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study in Bangladesh
Authors: Md. Mashukur Rahman*, Tasmi Jyoti, Samanta Sayed, Farzana Binta Rahman, Sadia Sharmin, Syed Md. Akram Hussain
Institution: Bangladesh Medical University
Introduction
Social media may supplement clinical information for patients with breast cancer; however, its relationship with perceived treatment understanding requires evaluation independent of objective knowledge and involvement in treatment decisions. This study sought to characterise cancer-related social media use and to compare perceived treatment understanding between users and nonusers at a tertiary oncology centre in Bangladesh. Previous reviews describe diverse patterns of online information seeking among breast cancer patients, influenced by education, digital access, and clinical context. A Bangladeshi mixed-cancer study has also described social media use and information-related concerns. However, these findings do not directly establish whether breast cancer patients who use social media feel better informed about their treatment. This study aimed to describe cancer-related social media use and compare perceived treatment understanding between users and nonusers at a tertiary oncology centre in Bangladesh.
Methods
This exploratory cross-sectional study enrolled 70 adult breast cancer patients who were interviewed at the Department of Clinical Oncology, Bangladesh Medical University, Dhaka, between 25 September and 5 October 2026. Social media information use was defined as utilising social media to obtain information about breast cancer or its treatment. Four investigator-developed self-report items assessed understanding of treatment rationale, expected benefit, important adverse effects, and the next treatment or follow-up plan. Each item was scored from 0 to 4, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 16. The primary analysis employed a two-sided Mann–Whitney U test and probability of superiority (A), with a 95% confidence interval generated from 20,000 within-group bootstrap resamples. Sensitivity analyses included a Welch mean comparison and HC3-robust linear regression adjusting for age, education category, cancer stage, and treatment anchor.
Results
Among participants, 30 (42.9%) reported using social media for information, while 40 (57.1%) did not. The mean age was 46.73 years (SD 11.17). Among social media users, YouTube was the most frequently reported primary platform (46.7%), followed by Facebook (23.3%), WhatsApp (20.0%), and TikTok (10.0%). Four users (13.3%) reported discussing online information with their physician. All participants provided complete outcome scores. Social media users reported a higher mean perceived treatment understanding than nonusers: 8.17 (SD 2.53) compared to 7.38 (SD 2.85), although both groups had a median score of 8. The Mann–Whitney comparison was not statistically significant (U=692.0; p=0.275), with a probability of superiority of 0.577 (95% bootstrap CI 0.441–0.707). The unadjusted mean difference was 0.79 points (95% CI −0.50 to 2.08; p=0.225). After adjustment, the estimated difference remained positive but imprecise at 1.16 points (95Social media users reported numerically higher perceived treatment understanding; however, neither unadjusted nor adjusted analyses demonstrated a clear association. The small single-center sample, use of an unvalidated self-report measure, and cross-sectional design limit interpretation and preclude causal inference. Larger studies using validated and culturally appropriate measures are warranted.
Conclusion
Social media users reported numerically higher perceived treatment understanding, but neither unadjusted nor adjusted analyses demonstrated a clear association. These findings do not support assuming that access to social media information translates into better treatment understanding. The small single-center sample, unvalidated self-report measure and cross-sectional design limit certainty and preclude causal inference. Larger multicenter studies using validated, culturally appropriate measures are needed to determine whether—and under what conditions—social media use is associated with better understanding of breast cancer treatment.
