Robert S. Miller, MD, FACP, shares plans for the future of Cancer.Net

It is difficult to remember a time in ASCO's history when patient information was not an integral part of the Society's undertakings; this commitment was solidified with the 2002 launch of Cancer.Net (initially called "People Living with Cancer"). Since that time, under the visionary direction of Diane Blum, MSW, Cancer.Net has grown in content and concept, features information in Spanish, and boasts an Editorial Board of 150 members.

In May, Ms. Blum stepped down from her position as Editor-in Chief and was succeeded by long-time ASCO volunteer Robert S. Miller, MD, FACP, who is helping to usher in a new era for Cancer.Net, one that will include more conversations with patients through a growing network of social media channels.

Dr. Miller is an Assistant Professor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a Clinical Associate in the Breast Cancer Program. He is also Oncology Medical Information Officer and "Epic Physician Champion" at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. He has served on the Editorial Boards of Cancer.Net and the Journal of Oncology Practice, and is a columnist on ASCOconnection.org.

Fundamental part of ASCO's mission

Cancer.Net is a patient-information website containing oncologist-approved materials for people diagnosed with cancer and their families and caregivers. The site hosts disease-specific cancer guides that include comprehensive overviews, specifics on staging, treatment information, clinical trial resources, questions for patients to consider asking their doctors, and much more. The site also features information on survivorship and material for patient advocates. Content is offered in a variety of formats, including multimedia products such as podcasts and videos, booklets, medical illustrations, apps, and quick-reference guides.

Dr. Miller recalls early conceptual conversations with Ms. Blum about the website's development. "The concept of a site for patients has always been near and dear to my heart," he said. "The idea that this should be a mission of ASCO is something that I have always supported." When reflecting on the growth of the website, Dr. Miller believes "the biggest transformation was the growing recognition—starting with the ASCO Board and ultimately other members of ASCO leadership—that providing information to patients and patient advocates was something that we should be doing." Now the concept has become a fundamental part of the Society's work. "Newer members may not recognize the historical transition that took place because it's just so ingrained in what ASCO does," he added.

Engaging patients

Educating patients on scientifically complex and often sensitive subjects is a challenging task, but one Dr. Miller plans to approach by encouraging interactivity with patients through Cancer.Net. "When patients are hands-on and directly involved in their care, they learn better," said Dr. Miller. He noted that "oncologists have long recognized that some patients' knowledge has grown to be quite sophisticated," as more and more patients participate in online communities. Although many patients have been active in the digital realm for a number of years, Dr. Miller said that physicians are just starting to explore this means of communication.

Blogs are one aspect of this interactivity that Dr. Miller would like to expand with Cancer.Net. He is an advocate of the benefits of an active blogosphere and notes the success of ASCOconnection.org in providing that outlet for ASCO's professional members. He feels that blogging would also translate well to the patient-centric environment of Cancer.Net. The material would be reliable and credible, written by ASCO members, the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, patients, and patient advocates. Cancer.Net is planning to launch a blog this year. "What I like about blogs is that they're quick and easy to produce, and they can be easily updated. They also encourage interactivity," he said.

Cancer.Net's mission is further supported by Twitter, which enables patients to participate in conversations with renowned physicians, fellow patients, and patient advocates from all over the world. Dr. Miller cites Breast Cancer Social Media (#BCSM) as an example of a successful Twitter account. It began as a Tweet chat sponsored by two breast cancer survivors (now advocates) and a breast surgeon. According to Dr. Miller, this particular Twitter feed "has become a very vibrant community where a lot of good content is shared and good support is offered." He thinks that Twitter offers a great opportunity to further the mission of Cancer.Net and improve education through "Cancer.Net Tweet chats with our patient-based communities."

A bounty of information

With online patient communities growing, so is the amount of medical information on the Internet. One of the problems with the vast amount of information available online, according to Dr. Miller, is that much of the content is not vetted or organized. "Studies have shown that many patients begin to look for information using a search engine, so when they type a very general term like 'breast cancer' in a search engine such as Google, they get an enormous amount of content that's not organized, much of it is not relevant, and unfortunately, quite a bit of it is not correct."

Not only does Cancer.Net provide credible content that has gone through a formal editorial process, Dr. Miller also sees the site as a complement to other ASCO materials that patients might not find on their own, such as abstracts. "While abstracts are written for a professional audience, many patients arealso very interested in reading source material from ASCO's meetings, and I think we should really encourage that," Dr. Miller said.

According to Dr. Miller, patients are interested in, and will benefit from, seeing exactly what their physicians are learning when they attend ASCO meetings. He also notes that there is value in sharing other ACSO publications such as the ASCO Educational Book and ASCO Daily News with patients: "They contain some really great summaries and expert editorials, and while the audience is originally intended to be a physician or a professional, certainly patients will be interested in that, too."

To see the latest initiatives of Cancer.Net or to read more about Dr. Miller, visit Cancer.Net. To read Dr. Miller's online commentaries, visit ASCOconnection.org.