fighting cancer

War metaphors are often used to describe a person's experience with cancer. Those who have died are said to have lost their "battle with cancer", while the living are described as "fighting cancer".
While the use of metaphors can help physicians explain cancer in a way that is understood by patients, it has been argued that words such as "battle" and "fight" are inappropriate, as they suggest that cancer can be defeated if one just fights hard enough.

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