Advertising Alternative Cancer Treatments and Approaches on Meta Social Media Platforms: Content Analysis

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Digital Health
• Medical Ethics

Background:

• Alternative cancer treatments carry a higher mortality risk compared to conventional therapies.
• Anecdotal evidence suggests social media is used for promoting alternative cancer treatments, but the scope is unknown.
• There is an urgent need to investigate the advertising of alternative cancer treatments on social media platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically analyze advertising activities of alternative cancer treatment providers on Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network).
• To determine the presence, strategies, and messaging of paid alternative cancer treatment advertisements.
• To evaluate how the efficacy of alternative treatments is portrayed in these advertisements.

Main Methods:

• Collected active advertisements from alternative cancer clinics via the Meta Ad Library between December 6-12, 2021.
• Gathered data including ad ID, URL, status, dates, advertiser name, and ad visuals (image/video).
• Conducted content analysis to assess communication strategies, claimed benefits, and efficacy portrayal.

Main Results:

• Identified 310 paid ads from 11 clinics promoting alternative cancer treatments on Meta platforms.
• Top advertising strategies included posing as legitimate providers (93.2%), targeting those with limited options (65.5%), and using client testimonials (54.2%).
• 25.8% of ads claimed their treatments could cure cancer or prolong life, often referencing "alternative" and "natural" approaches.

Conclusions:

• Alternative cancer providers utilize Meta advertising to market unproven treatments, often appearing as legitimate medical options.
• Advertisements exploit patient hope through testimonials and claims of cures, despite lacking scientific support.
• Recommended mandatory human-led authorization for medical advertisers on Meta and further research into platform conflicts of interest with public health.