Evaluating Online YouTube Videos for Cervical Cancer Brachytherapy Patient Education

Cervical cancer remains the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide, with brachytherapy an important modality of treatment. Patients often rely on YouTube for cancer-related information, yet few studies have evaluated these videos. This study aims to describe and evaluate YouTube videos available to patients relating to cervical cancer brachytherapy. YouTube was searched using pre-defined cervical cancer brachytherapy search terms in January, 2023. Videos were sorted by relevance and the first 50 videos from each search were collected. Duplicates were removed and exclusion criteria applied. Videos were evaluated for general parameters, source information, and content. Descriptive analyses were carried out. 47 unique videos were included in the analysis. Around half of videos were published within 3 years of the search date. Median video length was 4 min and 42 s. Commonly, videos were published in the USA (55%). Two-thirds of videos were aimed towards a patient audience. Overall, the content of 40% of videos related to cervical cancer, 94% related to radiation therapy including brachytherapy, and 51% directly related to the use of brachytherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer. Only 15% of videos overviewed the patient-relevant information of brachytherapy side effects. Some videos (13%) were advertisements and few (4%) contained grossly inaccurate information. Videos collectively presented an overview of the treatments for cervical cancer including brachytherapy, although few included pertinent patient-relevant information and some contained inaccurate information. Overall, this highlights the need for more clear, accurate, and patient education-focused online resources.