Background The incidence and mortality of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have risen significantly in recent years, attracting considerable public attention. Short-video platforms such as TikTok and Bilibili have become important sources of health information, yet the quality and reliability of RCC-related content on these platforms remain unclear. Methods On August 31, 2025, we systematically retrieved the top 110 videos related to RCC from both TikTok and Bilibili using the keyword “RCC.” Basic video characteristics were extracted, and two validated instruments—the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and the modified DISCERN (mDISCERN)—were employed to evaluate video quality and reliability, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine relationships between engagement metrics and quality scores. Results Of 196 videos included, TikTok content was predominantly from medical professionals (86.0%), while Bilibili had more non-professional uploads (53.13%). TikTok videos demonstrated significantly higher median scores than Bilibili in both GQS (3 IQR: 2, 4 vs. 2 IQR: 2, 3, P < .001) and mDISCERN (2 IQR: 2, 3 vs. 2 IQR: 1, 2, P < .001). Nevertheless, the median GQS score of 3 indicates only moderate quality, and the median mDISCERN score of 2 reflects a relatively low level of reliability. Videos from healthcare professionals, especially RCC specialists, scored higher in quality (GQS: 3 IQR: 3, 4) and reliability (mDISCERN: 3 IQR: 2, 3) than non-professional sources ( P < .001). Disease knowledge videos scored highest, while advertisements scored lowest. Engagement metrics showed weak negative or non-significant correlations with quality scores. Conclusion The overall quality and reliability of RCC-related short videos on TikTok and Bilibili are suboptimal. Content from medical professionals is more trustworthy, highlighting their essential role in public health education. These findings underscore the need for enhanced content oversight on platforms and critical discernment among viewers when accessing health information online.
su et al. (Thu,) studied this question.