Abstract
Reddit is a popular online forum for breast cancer survivors, but its content is largely unstudied. We compared topics discussed on the r/breastcancer subreddit to BREAST-Q, a validated breast surgery patient-reported outcome measure. We hypothesized that Reddit discussions would align with, yet transcend, BREAST-Q domains (BQDs).
The top 1,000 original posts (OP) on r/breastcancer were extracted using R studio. Content analysis and thematic coding (TC) were performed independently by five trained coders. Deductive TC was conducted using the BQDs as a framework for themes. Inductive TC was conducted to establish other emerging themes.
Of the 1,000 OPs analyzed, 828 included topics covered by BQDs. All BQDs were represented, including “Psychosocial Well-Being” (57%), “Physical Well-Being” (18%), “Satisfaction with Care” (11%), “Satisfaction with Outcome” (8.0%), “Satisfaction with Breasts” (3.4%), and “Sexual Well-Being” (2.5%).
Breast cancer survivors would benefit from more resources targeting psychosocial and physical well-being.
•Discussions on r/breastcancer align with and expand beyond BREAST-Q domains•Psychosocial and Physical Well-Being are the most represented domains in posts•Anxiety and treatment side effects are frequently discussed themes•Sexual Well-Being and Satisfaction with Breasts are infrequently discussed•Reddit reveals nuanced patient needs not captured by clinical surveys like BREAST-Q