Graduation Year
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Communication
Major Professor
Lori Roscoe, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Ambar Basu, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Abraham Khan, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Donileen Loseke, Ph.D.
Keywords
subjectivity, health care, diagnosis, American Cancer Society, narrative, medicine
Abstract
Cancer patients report having a high need for cancer information. Several studies show that the majority of patients surveyed report preferring information from the American Cancer Society (ACS). Ranging up to 129 pages, the ACS’ Detailed Guides (DG) are widely distributed throughout the United States, and offer patients an authoritative guide to help patients navigate the difficult terrain of the cancer journey. This dissertation examines the ACS’ cervical, endometrial, ovarian, penile, prostate, testicular, and vaginal cancer guides. Through a rhetorical analysis of the 7 guides, it was shown that the ACS DGs in question foster gendered narratives that strictly limit the type, range, and quality of information offered to cancer patients. These limitations and their resulting exclusions pose serious risks of misinformation and isolation among vulnerable patient populations with high information needs. Three recommendations are offered to help mitigate the issues identified within the ACS DGs, to improve the quality of information offered in the DGs, and to subsequently help improve patient quality of life.
Scholar Commons Citation
Bartell, Joanna, "When Maps Ignore the Territory: An Examination of Gendered Language in Cancer Patient Literature" (2016). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/6178
