Writing about cancer: the guidelines of the Cancer Institute NSW

CANCER-INSTITUTE-NSWMost of the language used to write and talk about cancer is still tied to the military metaphor of war: “The IV starts to drip, it’s the signal the battle has begun” [1], “When you go to war against cancer, it is better to entrust commanders-doctors” [2].

It is a common practice, carried on in communication by several Italian clinical institutes both for awareness campaigns, and during the individual dialogue between the oncologist and the patient. However, this language inevitably ends up labeling, stigmatizing, and frightening people living with this disease: is it possible to use another language to define cancer, a language offering a less “invasive” and military perspective?

The Cancer Institute of New South Wales (Australia) proposed some guidelines to realize a sensitive and refined communication on cancer, both at a media level (so in the world of the sickness, that is the social perception of disease), and at an intimate level with the patient (the illness, that is the individual experience of disease). This occurs through a language different from the “usual war metaphors” and that hopefully will give relieve to people living with cancer.

The word “cancer” refers to a class of diseases characterized by an uncontrollable division of abnormal cells. Each one of these disease, however, is unique in terms of causes, symptoms, incidence, mortality rate and treatment: some cancers can be as chronic disease, and people are consequently treated, while other cancers continue to have a high mortality rate.

Cancer Institute’s clinicians and researchers started from the assumption that cancer is a personal experience: diagnosis are different, as therapeutic choices, and every illness story is unique. Many people with cancer can have a full life, even with intermittent treatments. To the term “cancer patient” is preferable “person with cancer”: not only for respect of the uniqueness of his/her story and current situation, but also to allow to people to narrate themselves outside the clinical or military language.

If it is true that most of reported personal stories refers to the battle against cancer, it is also true that cancer cannot be just a defeat or a victory. It is also immoral to judge the progression of the disease as a matter of failure or non-value.

In the guidelines launched by the Cancer Institute is illustrated how to dialogue about a cancer diagnosis, cancer experience, or a person dead because of cancer. These guidelines, developed during consultations with people with cancer, their families, and clinicians, offer the opportunity to innovate communication techniques in screening and information campaign, at the level of perception of the disease in society, but also through the recognition of the personalization of cares in the therapeutic relationships.

[1] Corrado Sannucci, “A parte il cancro tutto bene. Io e la mia famiglia contro il cancro”, 2008.

[2] Giacomo Cardaci, “La formula chimica del dolore”, 2010.

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