People’s ability to critically assess cancer-related information is essential from a preventional and therapeutic, as well as a general democratic perspective. Such cancer literacy is not just about acquiring factual knowledge. It also involves the ability to analyze how the information is contextualized—how cancer is framed. Previous research concerning the framing of cancer in public discourse is voluminous and penetrating but also fragmented and inaccessible to non-experts. In this study, we have developed an integrated and applicable tool for analyzing cancer discourse by systematically classifying distinctive ways of framing of the concept of cancer. Building on previous research and an inductive framing analysis of a broad range of public cancer discourse, systematically selected from British and Norwegian newspapers, we have characterized nine cancer frames: the biomedical, the environmental, the epidemiological, the personal, the sociopolitical, the economic, the antagonistic, the alternative, and the symbolic frame. This framing scheme may be applied to analyze cancer-related discourse across a plurality of themes and contexts. We also show how different frames combine to produce more complex messages, thereby revealing underlying patterns, strategies, and conflicts in cancer communication. In conclusion, this analytical tool enables critical reading of cancer-related information and may be especially useful in educational initiatives to advance health communication and public understanding of cancer.

从预防和治疗以及一般民主的角度来看，人们批判性地评估癌症相关信息的能力是必不可少的。这种癌症知识不仅仅是获取事实知识。它还涉及分析信息如何被背景化的能力——癌症是如何被陷害的。先前关于公共话语中癌症框架的研究是大量和深入的，但也是零散的，非专家无法访问。在这项研究中，我们通过系统地对癌症概念的独特构建方式进行分类，开发了一种综合且适用的工具来分析癌症话语。基于先前的研究和对范围广泛的公共癌症话语的归纳框架分析，系统地从英国和挪威的报纸中挑选出来，我们描述了九种癌症框架：生物医学框架、环境框架、流行病框架、个人框架、社会政治框架、经济框架、对抗框架、替代框架和象征框架。该框架方案可用于分析跨多个主题和背景的癌症相关话语。我们还展示了不同的框架如何结合起来产生更复杂的信息，从而揭示癌症交流中的潜在模式、策略和冲突。总之，这种分析工具能够批判性地阅读与癌症相关的信息，并且可能在促进健康传播和公众对癌症的理解的教育计划中特别有用。和符号框架。该框架方案可用于分析跨多个主题和背景的癌症相关话语。我们还展示了不同的框架如何结合起来产生更复杂的信息，从而揭示癌症交流中的潜在模式、策略和冲突。总之，这种分析工具能够批判性地阅读与癌症相关的信息，并且可能在促进健康传播和公众对癌症的理解的教育计划中特别有用。和符号框架。该框架方案可用于分析跨多个主题和背景的癌症相关话语。我们还展示了不同的框架如何结合起来产生更复杂的信息，从而揭示癌症交流中的潜在模式、策略和冲突。总之，这种分析工具能够批判性地阅读与癌症相关的信息，并且可能在促进健康传播和公众对癌症的理解的教育计划中特别有用。