Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Studying Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics for Developing New Treatment Strategies
Published on: June 20, 2015
Is it time to change the stereotype of cancer: the expert view
Alice E Simon1, Jane Wardle, Anne Miles
1Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, UK. alice.simon@ucl.ac.uk
Objectives:
Negative public attitudes towards cancer may contribute to delays in presentation and present barriers to providing quality care. This study explored the views of cancer experts regarding the content of public health messages to improve public attitudes to cancer.
Methods:
Twenty-one healthcare professionals (HCPs) from a range of backgrounds took part took part in interviews. Interview transcripts were evaluated using thematic analysis focusing on the HCPs views of the prevailing negative stereotype of cancer patients and their recommendations for cancer awareness campaigns that could redress this view.
Results:
HCPs contrasted the progress that had been made in the effective management of cancer with popular stereotypes and media representations. Information quality and supply were identified as barriers to changing the cancer stereotype held by the public.
Conclusions:
HCPs believe there is a need for more information about cancer in the public domain and it should focus on providing more balanced messages that include information about the improvements that have been achieved in preventing and treating cancer.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
Cancer
What is Cancer?
Although people have known about cancer for centuries, it was only in 1761 that Giovanni Morgagni of Padua performed a detailed autopsy of patients who died from...

