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A significant proportion of the abstracts on urothelial cancer at an ASCO annual meeting contained wording that did not adhere to the society's "language of respect" guidelines, researchers reported.
The analysis of 118 abstracts from the 2023 meeting found that 67.8% used language that ran counter to the guidelines to avoid wording that "dehumanize, blame, or is disrespectful of patients."
Similar findings were observed in separate studies of abstracts on kidney cancer and prostate cancer, noted Sumanta K. Pal, MD, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California, and colleagues. "Inclusive language should be at the forefront of scientific communications as we aim to better address the needs of the diverse populations we represent," the researchers wrote in JCO Oncology Advances.
ASCO's Language of Respect guidelines were developed in 2020 to promote patient-centered language in scientific abstracts and presentations.
