Renaming low risk conditions labelled as cancer

[Extract] Removing the cancer label in low risk conditions that are unlikely to cause harm if left untreated may help reduce overdiagnosis and overtreatment, argue Brooke Nickel and colleagues

Evidence is mounting that disease labels affect people’s psychological responses and their decisions about management options.1 The use of more medicalised labels can increase both concern about illness and desire for more invasive treatment. For low risk lesions where there is evidence of overdiagnosis and previous calls to replace the term cancer, we consider the potential implications of removing the cancer label and how this may be achieved.