Men may avoid using the word 'cancer'

German researchers say they were surprised by the lengths men with prostate cancer went to avoid using the word "cancer" while part of an online support group. Lead author Dr. Johannes Huber of the University of Heidelberg in Germany says men who had prostate cancer visiting a major online support group were most likely to seek advice on therapy, treatment and emotional support. Huber and colleagues studied 501 threads posted during a 32-month period on Germany's largest prostate cancer forum. The researchers analyzed 1,630 posts on 82 threads. "One thing that did surprise us about the forum was the tentative language used by the posters and the fact that they went to great lengths to avoid using the word cancer," Huber says in a statement. "It was almost as if the word was taboo. We were also surprised that they avoided using other common language, preferring medical phrases like 'prostate carcinoma' and 'positive biopsy findings,' which were extraordinarily common." The study, published in the British Journal of Urology International, finds 66 percent were about therapy recommendations, 46 percent were about treatment and side effects, 46 percent of the men explicitly sought emotional support, 39 percent on diagnostic matters and 28 percent concerned institutions. Social support plays a major role for most patients with prostate cancer, because of the intimate nature of the disease and the fact that there are such a wide range of treatment choices, Huber says.