Using Google Trends Data to Study Public Interest in Breast Cancer Screening in Malaysia

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the public pattern in seeking breast cancer screening information in Malaysia using Google Trends. METHODS: The Google Trends database was evaluated for the relative Internet search popularity of breast cancer and screening-related search terms from 2007 to 2018. RESULTS: Result showed downward trends in breast cancer search, whereas mammogram and tomosynthesis search fluctuated consistently. A significant increment was found during Pink October month. Breast cancer search term achieved the highest popularity in the east coast of Malaysia with [x(2) (5, N=661) = 110.93, P<0.05], whereas mammogram attained the highest search volume in central Malaysia [x(2) (4, N=67) = 18.90, P<0.05]. The cross-correlation for breast cancer was moderate among northern Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak (0.3 ≤ r(s) ≤ 0.7). CONCLUSION: Public interest trend in breast cancer screening is strongly correlated with the breast cancer awareness campaign, Pink October. Breast cancer screening should be promoted in the rural areas in Malaysia.