ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2022
"More than conquerors": a qualitative analysis of war metaphors for patients with cancer.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- A mixed-method analysis of oncologist-patient communications about immune checkpoint inhibitors (COACH).The oncologist · 2025Article
- The Traces of Cancer: A Metaphorical Understanding of the Experiences of Women Living Beyond Breast Cancer.Qualitative health research · 2024Article
- "That bastard chose me": the use of metaphor in women's cancer blogs.Qualitative research in medicine & healthcare · 2024Article
- I'm still me, I'm still a person: war metaphor use and meaning making in women with metastatic breast cancer.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeMeaning-making is fundamental to the cancer experience and communication within cancer care is saturated with metaphors. The objective of this study was to better understand the impact and function of war metaphors among patients with cancer.
methodsPatients at the Duke Cancer Center were purposively sampled for inclusion based on type and stage of their cancer. Each patient underwent a semi-structured interview to explore their use of metaphors in their lived experience with cancer. Qualitative interviews broadly explored two key areas of interest: (1) frequency and use of metaphors to describe cancer diagnosis, treatment, or survivorship; (2) function and impact of the war metaphor on the patient experience of cancer.
resultsFifteen participants with either breast, lung, or colorectal cancer were interviewed. Most patients used metaphor themes of journey, war, and mystery to describe their cancer. All patients with non-metastatic disease used war metaphors and described how these metaphors facilitated meaning-making by promoting positivity and situating cancer within a larger life story. The few patients who did not use war metaphors had metastatic disease, and they explained that war metaphors were unhelpful due to feeling a lack of control over their metastatic disease and outcomes.
conclusionThe war metaphor should remain an integral part of cancer care. Disregarding war metaphors robs patients of an important framework for meaning-making-one that may promote strength, continuity, and resilience in navigating cancer.
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