Battle with cancer

Battle with cancer is a cliché commonly used by the media to refer to people suffering from cancer. Those who have died are said to have "lost their battle with cancer", while the living are described as "fighting cancer". It has been argued that words such as "battle" and "fight" are inappropriate, as they suggest that cancer can be defeated if one fights hard enough.[1][2][3]

Usage

The phrase is often used when someone dies, and may appear in obituaries. For example, a statement from Victoria Wood's publicist said that Wood had "passed away, after a short but brave battle with cancer".[4]

Research in 2014 led by Elena Semino, a professor of linguistics at Lancaster University, alongside palliative care specialists, based on 1.5 million words of discussion, led Semino to say, "We have enough evidence to suggest that battle metaphors are sufficiently negative for enough people that they shouldn’t be imposed on anyone". The study stated that doctors should avoid battle/fight metaphors unless patients themselves chose to use them, and obituaries should avoid them, especially the idea of "losing" such a battle/fight. By comparison, another common metaphor, comparing cancer to a "journey" was "less likely to lead to feelings of guilt or failure".[5]

In her 2014 article in The Guardian titled "Having cancer is not a fight or a battle", the medical doctor Kate Granger, who was diagnosed with desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor (a type of sarcoma), explains how the use of military language, whilst perhaps aiming to instil a sense of positivity, can have the opposite effect.[6]

A charity has been named Cyclists Fighting Cancer[7] and foods have been described as "cancer-fighting".[8]

Other illnesses/conditions

The concept of a "battle with..." is used in similar phrases such as a "battle with depression", for which an arguably better case can be made, as one's mental state may have some impact on the outcome.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Stating a Person Lost Her/His Battle with Cancer Is Insulting | Nancy's Point". Nancyspoint.com. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  2. ↑ "Cancer is an illness, not a battle". Dying Matters. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  3. ↑ "Stop Using The Phrase “Someone Lost Their Battle With Cancer”". Chicagonow.com. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  4. ↑ Cockcroft, Steph (2007-05-20). "Victoria Wood dies aged 62 after a short battle with cancer | Daily Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  5. ↑ Charlie Cooper (2014-11-03). "Mind your language: 'Battling' cancer metaphors can make terminally ill patients worse | Health News | Lifestyle". The Independent. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  6. ↑ Kate Granger. "Having cancer is not a fight or a battle | Society". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  7. ↑ "Cyclists Fighting Cancer". Cyclistsfc.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  8. ↑ "6 Cancer-Fighting Superfoods". Health.com. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
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