How do we replace stigma with compassion for lung cancer patients?

Timothy Williamson, assistant professor of psychological science at Loyola Marymount University, discusses this issue.

Timothy J. Williamson is an assistant professor of psychological science and director of the Psychosocial Risk & Resilience in Stress & Medicine (PRRISM) Research Laboratory in the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). He is a clinical health psychologist with specialized training in public health and psycho-oncology. Dr. Williamson’s program of research is centered on understanding, reducing, and preventing stigma within cancer care, and his work in this area has spanned the cancer care continuum, including screening, referrals to tobacco cessation, active treatment, and longer-term survivorship. Dr. Williamson is a member of the American Cancer Society’s National Lung Cancer Roundtable Stigma & Nihilism Task Force and the Cancer Equity and Diversity Committee for Cancer Support Community Los Angeles.

Replacing Stigma with Compassion

People diagnosed with lung cancer face not only the physical challenges of the disease but also less visible burdens: stigma and fatalism. These can show up in everyday moments, like when someone shares their diagnosis and is immediately asked, “Did you smoke?”, leaving them feeling blamed, judged, and isolated. This is compounded by a sense of fatalism, which makes many assume that a lung cancer diagnosis is hopeless, even when effective treatments and support exist.

Though stigma and fatalism may not be visible on a scan or under a microscope, they have real consequences for patients’ health and well-being.

In our recent research, my colleagues and I from the American Cancer Society’s National Lung Cancer Roundtable proposed a multilevel response to address this issue. At the center of our message, we assert that lung cancer can be detected early, treated effectively, and managed in a way that preserves quality of life.

We encourage clinicians to use empathic, nonjudgmental language (avoiding blaming terms like “smoker”) and normalize tobacco-related discussions. We advocate for more equitable research funding and accurate media portrayals to reinforce what the science now supports: advances in lung cancer care are leading to better survival and quality of life… And we urge clinicians to routinely identify and refer individuals who meet the eligibility criteria for lung cancer screening—adults aged 50 to 80 with a significant smoking history. Doing so can be lifesaving.

Lung cancer outcomes are improving. But outdated beliefs prevent these advances from reaching their full potential. By replacing stigma and fatalism with empathy and hope, we can foster a more compassionate landscape of care that helps reduce the burden of lung cancer for individuals and society.

Read More:

[Loyola Marymount University] – Replacing Stigma with Compassion: Lung Cancer Study Co-Authored by LMU Professor Calls for Supportive, Hopeful Care

[Annals of Internal Medicine] – Embracing Compassion for People Facing Lung Cancer—The American Cancer Society National Lung Cancer Roundtable

The post Timothy Williamson, Loyola Marymount University – Replacing Stigma with Compassion appeared first on The Academic Minute.