Cancer as Metaphor

Abstract

Shortly before his death in 1995, Kenneth B. Schwartz, a cancer patient at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), founded The Kenneth B. Schwartz Center at MGH. The Schwartz Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing compassionate health care delivery, which provides hope to the patient and support to caregivers and encourages the healing process. The center sponsors the Schwartz Center Rounds, a monthly multidisciplinary forum where caregivers reflect on important psychosocial issues faced by patients, their families, and their caregivers, and gain insight and support from fellow staff members. Metaphors illuminate complex issues LEARNING OBJECTIVESAfter completing this course, the reader will be able to:1. Describe aspects of metaphor in oncology, especially the military metaphor. Explain how the humanities have framed the military metaphor in medicine.3. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the use of metaphor in the patient-caregiver relationship.Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com CME CME PRESENTATION Facilitator:We often talk to patients about fighting their cancer and winning the war, and that is often how we think about oncology. We invoke military imagery to help us describe the ordeal our patients go through. We have a very interesting panel to help explore this issue and reflect on how the language we use impacts on the caregiver-patient relationship.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Portrayal by UK National Newspapers 2011–2016: A Service User - Led Thematic Analysis of Language Used

“…This is despite the fact that much of the scientific research highlighted in the printed press over the five year time frame of this study was still in development and often untested in humans. Terms such as 'attack' , 'destroying' , 'struggle' , and 'battle' , which were readily written by journalists in reference to RA, seemed to draw on metaphors of warfare [57][58][59]. Lakoff and Johnson [60] have suggested that conceptual systems are designed to function in a metaphorical sense.…”

“…That is, metaphors allow us to communicate concepts that are abstract or complex in simplified terms [60]. Metaphoric language has a long and durable history in medicine [57][58][59]61]. Metaphors of transgression and punishment have been commonly used in tuberculosis (TB) research and clinical practice [61], and military metaphors are a noticeable feature of discourses around the medical treatment of cancer [57][58][59].…”

“…Metaphoric language has a long and durable history in medicine [57][58][59]61]. Metaphors of transgression and punishment have been commonly used in tuberculosis (TB) research and clinical practice [61], and military metaphors are a noticeable feature of discourses around the medical treatment of cancer [57][58][59]. The use of militaristic metaphors in lay (media) or medical discourse can create a passive perception of the patient and a narrow focus with the biomedical aspects of the disease [58].…”

Finding Purpose: Honing the Practice of Making Meaning in Medicine

“…Or participants might use the poem to reflect on the effects of metaphor in medicine, considering how the metaphors used to describe diseases and treatments shape the expectations of patients and practitioners, in ways that can be edifying, empowering, obfuscating, or even unintentionally harmful. [6][7][8][9] At a conference on alleviating burnout, physicians spoke candidly about personal and professional griefs they carry, griefs that they seldom have opportunities to speak about, let alone to ameliorate through the kinds of connections we forged while discussing the poem.…”

Can Metaphors and Analogies Improve Communication with Seriously Ill Patients?

“…4,[6][7][8] In other health-related conversations, physicians and patients may use metaphors and analogies to enhance their ability to communicate effectively. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] However, it is not known how often physicians use metaphors and analogies to enhance communication with patients who are seriously ill. Nor is it known whether metaphors and analogies improve patients' perceptions of a physician's communication.…”