Aydah AlAwadhi, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Division Chair of Hematology and Oncology Department at Sheikh Shakbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, shared a post by Sakditad Saowapa, Oncologist at UI Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, on LinkedIn, adding:
“I’m truly grateful for studies like this!
The article highlights how common expressions: “the patient failed treatment,” “poorly compliant patient,” “non responders” carry unintended judgment and subtly place responsibility on the patient rather than on the disease biology or limitations of our therapies. This isn’t just semantics, it shapes how patients are perceived and how they perceive themselves.
Precision, respect and thoughtfulness in our language are essential to truly patient-centered oncology.”
Quoting Sakditad Saowapa‘s post:
“Review of RCC abstracts at ASCO 2023: ~60% used dehumanizing or blaming language.
Common issues:
- “Cancer patients” instead of “patients with cancer”
- “Patient failed therapy” (blame language)
- Shorthand labels like non responders, HER2 positives, responders
- Defining patients by disease features or treatment response
- Only modest improvement since ASCO’s 2020 respectful language guidance
Clear takeaway: patients are people first – our language should reflect that.”
Title: Don’t Do Me Like That: Promoting Respectful Language in Oncology Research
Author: Jeffrey Peppercorn, MD, MPH, FASCO
Read The Full Article on ASCO Publications
More posts featuring Aydah AlAwadhi and Sakditad Saowapa on OncoDaily.