Despite its high fatality rate, pancreatic cancer remains largely overlooked by the public. The rise of short-form video platforms has made them hubs for health-related content, yet the quality and reliability of this information are often in doubt.

This study is poised to scrutinize the quality and trustworthiness of videos pertaining to pancreatic cancer across these digital landscapes.

We analyzed the content and publishers of such videos on TikTok, Bilibili, and Kwai using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), modified DISCERN (mDISCERN), and Medical Quality Video Evaluation Tool (MQ-VET). We also correlated the findings with video rankings and compared the quality between the Chinese and USA platforms in 2023 and 2024.

In 2023, 300 videos were analyzed with median scores indicating medium quality but low reliability, the median GQS, mDISCERN and MQ-VET scores were 2, 2 and 45, respectively. The short videos created by medical practitioners demonstrated significantly higher median scores compared to those by non-medical practitioners in GQS scores (3 [IQR, 2–4] vs. 2 [IQR, 2–3]; P < 0.001), mDISCERN scores (2 [IQR, 2–3] vs. 2 [IQR, 1–2]; P < 0.001), and MQ-VET scores (46 [IQR, 40–52] vs. 37 [IQR, 30–45.5]; P < 0.001). mDISCERN scores showed superiority in treatment-related (3 [IQR, 2–3]), prevention-related (3 [IQR, 2.75–3]), and disease-related videos (including anatomical, pathologic, epidemiologic, and basic research related to pancreatic cancer)(2 [IQR, 2–3]) compared to News and Reports (2 [IQR, 1–2]) and invalid information content (1 [IQR, 1–1]; P < 0.001). TikTok had significantly higher mDISCERN scores (2 [IQR, 2–3] vs Bilibili: 2 [IQR, 1.75–3]; P = 0.024) and MQ-VET scores (47 [IQR, 43–53.5] vs Kwai: 44.5 [IQR, 38.25–49.75]; P = 0.033) for medical professional videos. Video quality showed a weak correlation with rankings. And the GQS scores of short videos in China in 2024 decreased compared with that in 2023 (2 [IQR, 2–3] vs 3 [IQR, 2–4]; P = 0.009). Additionally, in 2024, both medical and non-medical practitioners’ videos on the Chinese TikTok platform exhibited lower quality and reliability compared to their counterparts in the USA.

Pancreatic cancer-related short videos are of medium quality and low reliability, particularly on Chinese platforms. Videos from medical professionals are more trustworthy. There is a need for better curation and algorithms to ensure accurate health information dissemination and to enhance public understanding and management of pancreatic cancer.