How Paywalls Harm Cancer Patients

Practitioners, patients, researchers, and caregivers are locked out of the medical research they need. Together with users, the Open Access Button requests paywalled articles to be shared by authors. Here are 10 stories from users on why they need research to be freely available:

• On a case study of advocacy work in a cancer center: “I study patient engagement and a colleague tweeted a link to this article as the best example of a study of its kind.”
• “I’m trying to find out why tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer is dependent on melatonin and light exposure.”
• “I am researching alternatives for my father, who has HSNCC — head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. I am interested in IV vitamin C for cancer patients.”
• “I am researching the background for my PhD thesis in cancer biology, which is in an area of importance to human health.”
• “I want to learn more about how antioxidants affect cancer patients.”
• “Trying to evaluate the evidence behind a new diagnostic tool used to assess cancer response to chemotherapy for faster, more cost-effective treatment that empowers both patients and physicians to make decisions on chemotherapy continuation earlier.”
• “Provides reasons, [and maybe] solutions, for the shortage of chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer in children. Important for many who don’t have a subscription.”
• “This research will enable me to audit and improve the care of palliative patients.”
• “I’m an editor of an OA journal. I’m trying to find peer reviewers for a scientific paper by looking at possibly relevant literature. This is about 30% of my job. As our OA journal is paid for by charity, we cannot afford subscription fees to other journals.”
• “I’m trying to advise my patients who have a genetic risk of prostate cancer.”

Help make paywalled cancer research free to all by supporting our user requests.