Cancer Care: The Deceptive Marketing of Hope

Truth in Advertising.org (TINA) has released a new report that finds 90 percent of the 50 cancer centers that spent the most on advertising were "deceptively promoting atypical patient experiences through the use of powerful testimonials."

TINA’s investigation found "hundreds of testimonials featuring patients with cancer types that have a less than 50 percent five-year survival rate, being used in direct-to-consumer marketing materials to advance the narrative, either explicitly or implicitly, that treatment at a specific cancer center will provide patients with a therapeutic advantage, allowing them to beat the odds and live beyond five years."

TINA’s investigation also found "many also promote clinical trials (i.e., research endeavors with no guarantee of therapeutic benefit), as well as novel treatments, such as immunotherapy and/or experimental procedures, without clearly and conspicuously disclosing their limitations, risks and relative rarity."

TINA has filed a complaint with the FTC against CTCA, a repeat FTC offender, and put the other 42 cancer centers on notice that they are engaging in deceptive marketing practices.