Letter to the Editor — Thursday, Nov. 5, 2025

Cancer is not a battle

Obituaries of people killed by cancer virtually always refer to the “battle” fought by the decedent. As in, “After a long battle with cancer, John Smith died at home yesterday.” Or, “Sarah Jones, who bravely battled cancer for years, passed away peacefully last night.” This convention has become so ingrained that both readers and writers of obituaries rarely give it a second thought. If they do, they might think it is somehow ennobling to describe someone as engaged in a life-and-death struggle.

But what are we really saying when we say that someone died as a result of this “battle”? We are saying that cancer won the battle – and the cancer victim lost it. Talk about adding insult to injury. The cancer victim is not only dead, he’s a loser.

Framing cancer as a “battle” blames the victim. Winning a battle means that you have fought harder or better than your adversary. Losing the “battle” with cancer implies that you failed to do enough to win. It sends the message that if only you had fought more, or been tougher, you might be alive today.

Talking about cancer in this way is offensive and wrong-headed. Suppose someone walking down the street is killed by a brick falling from the top of a building. No one would say that person lost his battle with a brick. But like that brick, cancer is something that just hits you. If the treatment you undergo is successful (as chemotherapy was in my case), you will live. If the treatment is unsuccessful, you will die. It has nothing to do with how much “fight” you have in you. All the positive vibes in the world will not rid a body of cancer.

None of this is meant to say that cancer patients should just give up, or shut down. They should of course assiduously seek the best treatment available, and rigorously follow their doctor’s orders. But doing everything one can to be cancer-free is not accurately or fairly described as “battling” cancer.

I recognize that no one describing cancer as a “battle” means to denigrate, demean, or blame the victim. But that is what happens, however unintentionally, when we speak in this manner. Out of respect for those who have lost their lives to cancer, let’s retire the “battle” metaphor.

James Speyer

Los Angeles, CA