The Big C: removing the stigma around living with Cancer
Living with cancer is hard enough, but there is still a stigma surrounding it.Things are changing, though, and we have made it our mission to remove the stigma altogether.
Over the last 20 years, tremendous strides have been made to treat all cancers and improve survival rates. However, there is no question that cancer is still seen as a stigmatised disease. The problem is that cancer can remind people of their mortality and presents uncomfortable connotations of death and suffering, leading to feelings of awkwardness and fear. Death remains one of the last great taboo subjects.
Negative language is often used to talk about cancer.“The war on cancer rages on”. “She lost the fight” are phrases you often hear. These suggest cancer patients are sufferers, failures or survivors, which profoundly affects how we see cancer.
Why does it matter?
Quite commonly, negative attitudes will affect the well-being of cancer patients. In more practical terms, negative perceptions of some cancers can even be reflected in the level of donations and, therefore, the research funding they receive. For example, lung cancer has substantially less funding than breast cancer.
Often stigmatisation can cause patients to delay or underreport their symptoms. A sense of stigma can also lead to shame, social isolation, and even discrimination. Patients perceive less stigma when health care providers communicate respectfully, positively and clearly with them.
‘Today, cancer is less stigmatised and more openly discussed, but stigma can still affect the well-being of cancer patients. Research shows that there is some likelihood that different characteristics of the disease, such as its perceived controllability and visibility, factor into how much stigma is applied to individuals with cancer.‘ Anne Moyer PhD -Psychology Today
How can we remove the stigma around living with cancer?
While it’s good to see that cancer is less stigmatised and much more openly discussed than it used to be, there is so much more to do to remove the stigma altogether. We can do many things, but here are our top three.
Firstly healthcare providers need to communicate respectfully, positively and clearly with people living with cancer. Good patient-provider communication will improve patients’ psychological welfare and deliver better care.
Secondly, we need to educate the broader public about treatments and survival rates. We should explain the different types of cancers and share more real-life examples of successfully treating people. We hear too many negative stories.
Thirdly we need to remember that language matters. We should change the language we use about cancer. Talking about cancer almost invariably means using metaphors; these affect how people see cancer. Phrases like “We will beat cancer sooner” is one of the many phrases you will hear used when people discuss the subject. We should use more favourable terms, and even be more matter of fact. Perhaps we could disarm some of its associated negativity by not referring to it as ‘the big C’?
It’s undoubtedly true that cancer is less stigmatised and much more openly discussed than it used to be, and that is something we all welcome. However, there is much more to do to remove the stigma altogether. We need to communicate respectfully, positively and clearly with people living with cancer and educate the broader public about treatments causes and survival rates. We also need to use more favourable terms and move away from the traditional, and rather negative, language we all use when talking about cancer. Only then will we increase our support for people living with this illness.
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