(122) Readability, Suitability, and Quality of Patient-Facing Immunotherapy Materials for Head and Neck Cancer

Introduction: Immunotherapy is increasingly used in the management of head and neck cancer, and patients often rely on online resources to understand these complex treatments. The readability, suitability, and quality of these materials are crucial for patient understanding and remain poorly characterized for head and neck cancer.

Methods: Publicly accessible, English-language, patient-facing immunotherapy materials related to head and neck cancer were identified from structured sources (a predefined list of national cancer organizations and professional societies) and consumer-derived sources (Google, Bing, and Yahoo searches). Materials were evaluated using three validated readability metrics (FKGL, FRE, SMOG), the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM), and the DISCERN instrument. Resources were stratified by source type and clinical context (neoadjuvant vs recurrent/metastatic). Structured and consumer recurrent/metastatic materials were compared using nonparametric testing.

Results: Seventy resources (23% structured, 77% consumer) met inclusion criteria. No structured neoadjuvant materials were identified, and only two (0.23%) consumer-derived neoadjuvant resources were found. Mean readability across all materials exceeded recommended patient education grade-level thresholds (FKGL 10.7 ± 2.3; SMOG 12.6 ± 1.9). Readability differed between structured and consumer recurrent/metastatic materials, with significant differences observed using SMOG (mean 11.74 ± 0.67 vs 12.78 ± 2.05; p = 0.03). Overall suitability was classified as adequate (mean SAM score = 59.54% ± 11.60%) while quality was good (mean DISCERN = 71.92% ± 13.52%). Structured sources demonstrated significantly higher suitability (mean 69.85% ± 8.16% vs 56.47% ± 10.88%; p < 0.01) and quality (mean 88.67% ± 4.87% vs 67.03% ± 11.23%; p < 0.01) scores than consumer recurrent/metastatic materials.

Conclusions: Patient-facing immunotherapy resources for head and neck cancer are limited, especially for neoadjuvant therapy, and are commonly written above guideline-recommended levels for patient education.