Cancer awareness campaign slated
pharmafile | February 7, 2014 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | Cancer, adverts, pancreatic, research uk, testicular
An ad campaign by Pancreatic Cancer Action has drawn criticism from other charities for ‘pitting’ different types of cancer against each other.
The print and video adverts include candid, black-and-white clips of pancreatic cancer patients saying “I wish I had breast cancer” and “I wish I had testicular cancer”.
The campaign’s intentions are to raise awareness of the disease’s poor survival rates compared to other forms of the condition, and to highlight its symptoms.
People diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK have a 3.6% chance of surviving another five years, compared with 85.1% and 97.2% for breast and testicular cancer patients, respectively.
However, several cancer charities have objected to the adverts including Breast Cancer Care, whose chief executive, Samia al Qadhi, said that it was ‘unhelpful’ to compare cancers in this way.
She said: “Unless you have experienced it yourself, it’s impossible to fully understand the huge challenge faced by women who every day wake up to the brutal reality of breast cancer.
“Many are forced to make life-changing decisions about treatment, some are coping with its debilitating side effects, some are being told they can’t have children.”
UK testicular cancer charity Ballboys also spoke out against the campaign. Chief executive Keith Binley described it as “not the way to get the message across”.
He told Pharmafile: “I get what they’re trying to say but it was ill-advised and naïve – nobody wishes to have any type of cancer, full stop. It’s a shame as it detracts from doing good work as a charity.”
Cancer Research UK, Britain’s top cancer charity in terms of income, was more equivocal in its criticism. The organisation’s head information nurse, Martin Ledwick, said: “Being diagnosed with any cancer can be devastating news.”
But he added: “Although survival rates for many types of cancer have improved over the years, pancreatic cancer is still particularly hard to treat and survival rates remain low.”
Pancreatic Cancer Action defended its campaign in a statement, highlighting the fact that disease awareness is critical to early diagnosis, something that is ‘particularly true’ for pancreatic cancer.
It added: “It is important to remember that the advert features real pancreatic cancer patients and all they want is a better chance of survival.”
Hugh McCafferty
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