Table 1.

Misleading cancer books themes by frequency and illustrative example.

Theme	Frequency (n=494), n (%)	Definition
Claims of efficacious cancer cure strategies	451 (91.3)	Treatment can or has cured cancer
Oversimplifying cancer and cancer treatment	194 (39.3)	Cancer is not complicated and is simple to understand, treat, and cure. Cancer can be treated using simple foods or at-home remedies
Falsely justifying ineffective treatments as science based	189 (38.3)	Ineffective cancer cures are scientifically proven to work Justified by the author’s own academic research Contains unsupported conclusions or demonstrates a lack of understanding of scientific processes and evidence thresholds
Discrediting conventional cancer treatments	169 (34.2)	Critical descriptions of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, “Western medicine,” and conventional treatments, including side effects, causing harm (poisoning, worsening cancer, and killing patients with cancer), and lack of effectiveness
Finding the true cause of cancer	133 (26.9)	Treating cancer requires understanding the root cause of cause, why cancer occurs, and presentations of paradigm shifts on what’s known to cause cancer
Homogenizing cancer	132 (26.7)	One treatment can cure all types of cancer and/or other diseases
Discovery of new cancer treatments	119 (24.1)	People with cancer, their family, or health practitioners finding new cancer cures and treatment options
Cancer cure suppression	82 (16.6)	Cancer cures already exist but are hidden or banned because of financial interests from the pharmaceutical industry, legal battles with regulators or medical associations, and conspiracies to ruin reputations