Although cancer might seem like a niche subject, we argue that it is a model topic for misinformation researchers, and an ideal area of application given its importance for society. We first discuss the prevalence of cancer misinformation online and how it has the potential to cause harm. We next examine the financial incentives for those who profit from disinformation dissemination, how people with cancer are a uniquely vulnerable population, and why trust in science and medical professionals is particularly relevant to this topic. We finally discuss how belief in cancer misinformation has clear objective consequences and can be measured with treatment adherence and health outcomes such as mortality. In sum, cancer misinformation could assist the characterization of misinformation beliefs and be used to develop tools to combat misinformation in general.

中文翻译：

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癌症：错误信息研究人员的模范主题

尽管癌症似乎是一个小众主题，但我们认为它是错误信息研究人员的一个模范主题，并且鉴于其对社会的重要性，也是一个理想的应用领域。我们首先讨论网上癌症错误信息的普遍性以及它如何可能造成伤害。接下来，我们研究了那些从虚假信息传播中获利的人的经济激励、癌症患者如何成为独特的弱势群体，以及为什么对科学和医疗专业人员的信任与该主题特别相关。最后，我们讨论了对癌症错误信息的信念如何产生明确的客观后果，并可以通过治疗依从性和死亡率等健康结果来衡量。总之，癌症错误信息可以帮助描述错误信息信念的特征，并可用于开发总体上打击错误信息的工具。