Confronting nihilism and stigma in lung cancer: The nurse practitioner's role in restoring hope and trust
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States, yet profound advances in screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship have redefined what is possible for patients. Despite this progress, nihilism, fatalism, and stigma continue to shape public and professional perceptions, discouraging screening and delaying help-seeking. Nurse practitioners occupy a central and trusted position across the lung cancer continuum and are uniquely equipped to counter these barriers through compassionate, stigma-informed communication. This perspective article synthesizes current evidence to illuminate how nurse practitioners can translate empathy, equity, and behavioral science into tangible practice actions that reduce stigma and nihilism and instill compassion and hope. Key strengths-language, empathy, tobacco treatment integration, social context awareness, community engagement, and hope-form the "Permission to Hope" framework. By leveraging these strengths, nurse practitioners can transform everyday interactions into opportunities to rebuild trust, improve screening participation, and redefine what survivorship means in lung cancer care.
Authors: Lisa Carter-Bawa, Timothy J. Williamson, Nancy Alvey, Abbie Begnaud, Dannell Boatman, Deborah P. Brown, Deena Cook, Dusty Donaldson, Jill Feldman, Heidi A. Hamann, Ella Kazerooni, Lauren Kearney, Eugene Manley, Drew Moghanaki, Jamie S. Ostroff, James Pantelas, Elyse R. Park, Maureen Rigney, Lauren Rosenthal, Elizabeth Scharnetzki, Joan Shiller, Robert A. Smith, Anne L. Stangl, Erica T. Warner, Douglas E. Wood, Jamie L. Studts
Institutions: American Cancer Society, Hackensack Meridian Health, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Loyola Marymount University, University of Minnesota, West Virginia University, American Lung Association, University of Arizona, University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine, Boston University, VA Boston Healthcare System, University of California, Los Angeles, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Go2 for Lung Cancer, MaineHealth, Johns Hopkins University, University of Washington, University of Colorado Cancer Center, University of Colorado Anschutz
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: National Cancer Institute
Award: Cancer Center Support Grant
OpenAlex ID: W7117125546