Is cancer still a taboo subject?

Cicero · 19-03-2012 11:24PM #1

Looking at Nuala O ' Faolain's programme on RTE this evening about her life but ultimate demise due to cancer....I know not so long ago, Cancer was a taboo word....people did actually say the expression....."the big C" ...which has been since made into a joke on many TV shows/comedies....I.e. what did he die of....Ans: The big C....oh..you mean cancer....? ...ah no....feicn drowned in the BIG SEA ...etc

.which I think is a good thing......but still masks the reality somewhat....and still people shy away from talking about it in public or day to day conversation...Especially when the person is very close....I've buried too many people I know due to cancer that it's actually, in some respects...almost funny.....but still, the word cancer conjures up a big fear in people....it creates doubt, uncertainty and hopelessness...no matter what the "statistics" etc may suggest around cures or indeed recovery stories which are forever prevalent on national and Global TV/magazines etc..

I still think that....no matter what positive publicity cancer gets in terms of success stories in the popular media...when it's close and personal.....it's still very difficult to talk about Cancer, openly, with others.

ayeboy · 19-03-2012 11:26PM

No

amacachi · 19-03-2012 11:28PM

It's no longer taboo in that people speak about it but it's still taboo in that it's seen as "other" compared to everything else. People seem to get emotional about it on a level that doesn't happen with other diseases perhaps barring some psychological illnesses.
The whole "battling" cancer, the "solidarity" that we're told we're meant to have etc. etc. shows it's still not seen the same as other diseases.

Kiera · 19-03-2012 11:30PM

It's not that it's taboo but so many people have been affected by it that it might be upsetting for them to talk about it. I know that's the case with me anyway.

Cicero · 19-03-2012 11:34PM

amacachi wrote: »

It's no longer taboo in that people speak about it but it's still taboo in that it's seen as "other" compared to everything else. People seem to get emotional about it on a level that doesn't happen with other diseases perhaps barring some psychological illnesses.
The whole "battling" cancer, the "solidarity" that we're told we're meant to have etc. etc. shows it's still not seen the same as other diseases.

Thanks ....you've put what I wanted to say very well...:)

some random drunk · 19-03-2012 11:37PM

Cicero wrote: »

Looking at Nuala O ' Faolain's programme on RTE this evening about her life but ultimate demise due to cancer....I know not so long ago, Cancer was a taboo word....people did actually say the expression....."the big C" ...which has been since made into a joke on many TV shows/comedies....I.e. what did he die of....Ans: The big C....oh..you mean cancer....? ...ah no....feicn drowned in the BIG SEA ...etc
.

There's a chain of supermarkets in Thailand called "Big C". Always thought it a strange name.

http://www.muaythai-institute.net/Images/main/BigC.jpg

Cicero · 19-03-2012 11:42PM

some random drunk wrote: »

There's a chain of supermarkets in Thailand called "Big C". Always thought it a strange name.

http://www.muaythai-institute.net/Images/main/BigC.jpg

Lost in translation...hence the Big Sea joke...:P

galwayrush · 19-03-2012 11:46PM

Taboo is the last word i would associate with it..

Cicero · 19-03-2012 11:51PM

I've experienced a lot of people shying away from the subject ...who have cancer....hence my question..cancer to many...including myself...means death.... a certain inevitability...hence my question...

hondasam · 19-03-2012 11:56PM

I think people are better at talking about it,not necessarily to the person who has cancer. It's still seen as a death sentence to most people, all cancers are different but it's still the one word no one wants to hear.
It's so common now majority of people know someone who has it or had it. I know people who have died from cancer and a few who are in remission at the moment.

Princess Peach · 19-03-2012 11:58PM

I feel it is a taboo subject in that its not funny yet. Can't really go making cancer jokes.

saa · 20-03-2012 12:20AM

Cancer can be many things on the cancer spectrum but that word is frightening. I think as far as taboo goes rape and HIV are harder to deal with when it comes to letting other people know from what ive seen its not always that simple, well as far as my experience goes I only know people who never thought twice about coming out about cancer but a few who have kept rape and HIV secret because of the stigma. I know they are different things but OP talks about the person who has cancer or person they are connected to talking about cancer feeling a taboo I think the listeners to that story of a persons struggle with cancer will not feel the same, will not feel alienated, shocked or disgusted but yet it is still something we don't understand.

Anyway when it comes to talking about cancer when emotions are attached its extremely difficult, if you have came through cancer you might not want to talk about it or if you're in the middle of it of course you might not be well up for talking about it but if the person can talk about their illness I have never witnessed a disgusted or ashamed reaction from a person saying I had cancer no one ever looks upon them as dirty or as cancer as a taboo issue in that capacity as far as my experience goes.

RobbingBandit · 20-03-2012 12:32AM

Taboo in the sense that many many people have lost family members to Cancer,if you do get a form it can be cured but in most cases it will kill or maime you but unlike most illnesses it is not contagious. Not too many jokes could be made about such situations though unless the joker was a ****ing dumbass.

Cicero · 20-03-2012 12:45AM

I think most comediennes will state that no topic is "taboo" ... and possibly rightfully so in some respects....in that partly, the commedien's job is to get people to think a little differently...
I'm not mad on some ways cancer is portrayed in light entertainment shows but this one stands out in my my mind as one that brought the topic to a mass audience

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISET9kt5wfE

,,,SITS is, in the context of TV, a "modern" show...but still it felt the need to "address" this topic.. Leading me to believe it's still a taboo subject...and one that it approached with an element of humour...but also sensitivity...

thethingis · 20-03-2012 01:22AM

some random drunk wrote: »

There's a chain of supermarkets in Thailand called "Big C". Always thought it a strange name.

http://www.muaythai-institute.net/Images/main/BigC.jpg

Fellow goes to the DOC and the Doc is looking all depressed.
Patient asks ........ is there something wrong?
Doc says he got his own tests back and it not good.

He has the big C

Patient says ....... youve got cancer?

No the Doc says ........

Ive got dixlexcia

RichieC · 20-03-2012 01:23AM

No, I just like thinking about it. I suffer from anxiety enough already.

Jezek · 20-03-2012 01:28AM

I think it's a quite 'sexy' disease i.e. one that is not taboo but rather discussed at length and considered special enough for everyone to pull together and fight it together. Not that that's bad but other diseases that kill more people and would be easier to fight get less attention. Don't really know why cancer is the big one that used to be really taboo, as the OP points out, and now is a buzzword.

Wild Bill · 20-03-2012 01:35AM

I was listening to a radio talk this morning about "optimism bias" in humans. (Well, who knows about dolphin bias).

33% of you will get cancer but most of you don't rate your chances of getting it as very high.

I pity you :rolleyes:

Duggys Housemate · 20-03-2012 01:39AM

Wild Bill wrote: »

I was listening to a radio talk this morning about "optimism bias" in humans. (Well, who knows about dolphin bias).

33% of you will get cancer but most of you don't rate your chances of getting it as very high.

I pity you :rolleyes:

Actually I expect to get it, which is why I think it so scary. Most other problems I can change my lifestyle for.

Paparazzo · 20-03-2012 01:51AM

some random drunk wrote: »

There's a chain of supermarkets in Thailand called "Big C". Always thought it a strange name.

http://www.muaythai-institute.net/Images/main/BigC.jpg

That's nothing, there's a Santa Burger in MBK in Bangkok:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinborland/2285417144/in/photostream/

Capt'n Midnight · 20-03-2012 03:19AM

Wild Bill wrote: »

I was listening to a radio talk this morning about "optimism bias" in humans. (Well, who knows about dolphin bias).

33% of you will get cancer but most of you don't rate your chances of getting it as very high.

I pity you :rolleyes:

actually you should have said

33% of us will live long enough to get cancer

In the past more people died before they got it or were diagnosed with it. And survival rates are way up.

Wild Bill · 20-03-2012 08:23AM

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

actually you should have said

33% of us will live long enough to get cancer

I'll try to say it right in future

CathyMoran · 20-03-2012 10:36AM

I am a 5 year oesophageal cancer survivor and I only did publicity for the charity that promotes awareness and reseach this year when I got to 5 years as I was scared. Yes, I did talk about it online but that was more theraputic and I have helped out other people going through the same or similar to me. I have lost some great friends to it and that is hard. I do not watch programmes about it and try to avoid it in my day to day life but I still suffer from the affects of treatment and I do have huge scars that I do not cover up. My husband and I have seen things that no one should ever see and I do appreciate life more as a result.

BrianD3 · 20-03-2012 11:56AM

Many aspects of cancer are scary - there's the insidious nature of it, any one of us reading this could be harbouring a deadly cancer without knowing it. Given the size of boards.ie membership it's likely that this applies to a few people here.

There's the practice of placing an expiry date on people's lives "I've been given 6 months to live" etc.

Then there's the fact that the biggest risk factor for cancer is not smoking, drinking or any other optional lifestyle factor but ageing.

Having said all that lots and lots of people survive a cancer diagnosis with few or no long term effects from it. The cure rates for most localised operable cancers is high.

The prognosis for some incurable cancers has gotten slightly better and I expect this to continue in the future eg for advanced prostate cancer the treatment of which may be entering a new era with several new drugs approved or in late stage trials.

People can live years with chronic leukemias etc.

Testicular cancer is very curable even when advanced and kills only a handful of men in Ireland every year . I think it receives a disproportionate amount of coverage in the media compared to more deadly/common cancers. Many of us will have seen articles about sports stars such as Lance Armstrong, John Hartson and Joe Deane having testicular cancer.

CathyMoran · 20-03-2012 12:27PM

BrianD3 wrote: »

Testicular cancer is very curable even when advanced and kills only a handful of men in Ireland every year . I think it receives a disproportionate amount of coverage in the media compared to more deadly/common cancers. Many of us will have seen articles about sports stars such as Lance Armstrong, John Hartson and Joe Deane having testicular cancer.

It is dangerous if we become complacent about any cancers, awareness is key. Even my then GP did not think that I had oesophageal even though I had all the signs.

cynder · 20-03-2012 12:43PM

My husband had cancer and he refused to talk about it, it made life a lot harder because he wouldnt talk about it. He did however follow blogs he followed one for years and the mad died there a little while ago and he was auwful upset over it. He talked more about this guy then he ever did about himself.

http://howthelightgetsin.net/

My husband has to have a colonoscopy next month, his got his fingers and toes crossed. Next year he will be 5 years cancer free.

44leto · 20-03-2012 01:04PM

It kind of is, I work with someone who has lung cancer, he still works, but when we meet I tend to talk about everything else, but my mind is only thinking lung cancer.

I don't know why it is like that, I think the fact he is dying and you really don't want to remind him.

BUT boardies one third of us will get it at some stage.

Nodin · 20-03-2012 03:00PM

RichieC wrote: »

No, I just like thinking about it. I suffer from anxiety enough already.

The real craic is when you've had it, are clear, but at 3 in the morning get a pain somewhere or feel a bump and think its back. Mind you, as long as that doesn't happen at 3 in the day, ye can't complain that much.

NiallFH · 20-03-2012 03:26PM

I wouldnt say its taboo to talk about, I have lost someone to it recently and it was talked about quite openly in the family when we found out.

Have another relative with a manageable form and when that was found out about it was kept very hush and not spoken of. (this was years ago it was found out, times changing or just different family members, not sure why the difference in reactions)

I dont find it funny though I have to say, but im not a big fan of any jokes in regards to disease/disability.

Both are grandparents and apparently it's in your genes, first this ****e hairline and now this, I could name a few things id prefer inherit!

BrianD3 · 20-03-2012 04:37PM

CathyMoran wrote: »

It is dangerous if we become complacent about any cancers, awareness is key. Even my then GP did not think that I had oesophageal even though I had all the signs.

I would say there isn't nearly enough awareness of oesophageal cancer as you're well aware it is potentially very serious. I think a few hundred die from it in Ireland each year.

However, because of Lance Armstrong etc. I think there is pretty good awareness of testicular cancer relative to how uncommon it is and given its curability.

Just to put testicular cancer into perspective these are the death rates from the US.

Testicular: 0.2 deaths per 100,000 men
Oesophagael: 8 deaths per 100,000 men
Colorectal: 21 deaths per 100,000 men
Lung: 67 deaths per 100,000 men

On the colorectal, we have a big problem with it in this country. If a major effort was made to raise awareness and get people to have colonoscopies, hundreds of lives might be saved based on the mortality reduction figure from this research
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1100370

CathyMoran · 20-03-2012 05:10PM

BrianD3 wrote: »

On the colorectal, we have a big problem with it in this country. If a major effort was made to raise awareness and get people to have colonoscopies, hundreds of lives might be saved based on the mortality reduction figure from this research
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1100370

One of my best friends died from it, he was only in his very early 40's.

In terms of oesophageal it has a very low survival rate.

I think that any awareness campaign is a good idea however breast cancer is overshaddowing the other cancers - why do we need a breast cancer awareness month - a week is fine but a month. I was diagnosed on October and could not get away from cancer at all as everything was pink.

My mother in law has end stage lung cancer.

I do talk about it to promote awareness - also to let people know that some people can have a decent quality of life after diagnosis.

Is cancer still a taboo subject?

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