Muna Al-Khaifi, GP Oncologist at Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto), Sinai Health, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“I’m pleased to see our paper published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship:
“Perceptions of Terminology Among Individuals Known to Oncology Services: A Cross-Sectional Survey”
The term cancer survivor is widely used across oncology, research, advocacy, and survivorship care. However, whether individuals diagnosed with cancer identify with this terminology has remained an important and often overlooked question.
In this study, we surveyed 387 individuals known to oncology services to better understand how they perceive the term cancer survivor and what terminology they prefer. Most participants were women (93.0%), and 89.1% had a history of breast cancer.
We found that 58.1% of participants moderately or strongly liked the term cancer survivor, and 61.7% moderately or strongly agreed with the National Cancer Institute definition of survivorship, which defines survivorship as beginning at the time of diagnosis and continuing through the balance of life.
Interestingly, participants most commonly considered someone who had completed treatment and had no evidence of cancer to be a cancer survivor, while only 12.9% felt the term applied to individuals living with progressive or terminal disease. We also found that terminology matters—68.8% of participants considered healthcare terminology to be important or very important.
Qualitative responses revealed a range of perspectives. Some participants found the term cancer survivor empowering and encouraging, while others felt it did not accurately reflect their experience and could evoke discomfort, fear, or exclusion.
As survivorship care continues to evolve, this study highlights the importance of listening to the voices of those living with and beyond cancer. The language we use shapes identity, communication, and how individuals engage with care.
Thank you to my co-authors and collaborators for their contributions to this work Carlos Carmona, Jashmira Bhinder.”
Title: Perceptions of Terminology Among Individuals Known to Oncology Services: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Jashmira K. Bhinder, Malika Peera, Christopher Meaney, Carlos Amir Carmona-Gonzalez, and Muna Al-Khaifi
Read the article here.
Other articles featuring Muna Al-Khaifi on OncoDaily.
