DALLAS – June 2026:– The widespread use of electronic patient portals to provide quick access to test results presents healthcare professionals with an important challenge: How should new cancer diagnoses be communicated?

An increasing number of patients are learning about new or recurrent cancer diagnoses through their portals – a direct result of a provision in the 21st Century Cures Act, implemented in 2021. That regulation mandates that patients have timely, unrestricted access to their electronic health information.

But a new survey conducted at UT Southwestern Medical Center has found that most cancer patients would still prefer to learn results directly from their doctors. 

“Learning about a cancer diagnosis without the ability to immediately ask questions or discuss next steps with a trusted clinician can add to the significant stress, uncertainty, and fear that patients experience,” said the study’s lead author, Sheena Bhalla, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and a medical oncologist at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern.

The survey results, published in JAMA Network Open¹, found that 75% of patients would prefer to find out about a cancer diagnosis directly from their physician, either in person or via a telemedicine appointment. The 2025 survey collected responses from more than 2,400 patients diagnosed with cancer at Simmons Cancer Center between 2019 and 2023.

Patient preferences varied based on prior experiences, frequency of portal use, and demographic characteristics. For example, men were more likely to prefer learning about a diagnosis via the portal.

“These findings highlight the need for a more personalized, tailored approach to communicating sensitive and life-changing results,” said study senior author David Gerber, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and of Epidemiology in the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health and co-Director of the Simmons Cancer Center Office of Education and Training. “Moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach can help clinicians provide a more thoughtful, compassionate patient experience.”

The study also provided insight into the real-world circumstances by which patients are receiving sensitive results, with more than half of those who learned of their diagnosis via the portal reporting they were alone at the time.

“That’s one of the most unintended consequences of real-time access,” Dr. Bhalla said. “Patients are often alone without support from their physician or family at one of their most vulnerable moments.”

The researchers say healthcare providers have several potential solutions, including improving clinician and patient awareness of available portal notification settings; developing tiered or delayed-release approaches for particularly sensitive findings; and integrating supportive digital tools such as plain-language summaries for radiology and pathology reports. In addition, since the implementation of the Cures Act, three states, including Texas, have enacted laws that allow delayed portal release of cancer-related and other sensitive results. 

“Further study and increased interdisciplinary collaboration among oncology clinicians, health services researchers, and digital health experts can help us better understand how patients receive and react to cancer diagnoses,” Dr. Bhalla said. “Our goal is to increase awareness of this issue and help drive innovative approaches to patient-centered communication.”

Reference:

1) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2850684

(Newswise/HG)