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The 18 Best Movies About Cancer and Terminal Illnesses

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Over the years, cancer movies have become their own sort of subgenre in cinema, what with the world's growing campaign for cancer awareness and its fight to cure all kinds of terminal illnesses.

These films are tough to get right because there's a razor thin line between giving a voice to those who have suffered with terminal illnesses and simply capitalizing on their tragedy for profit. It takes a skilled director to walk that line and come out the other side unscathed.

Here are my picks for the best movies about cancer and terminal illnesses, which successfully imbued their stories with meaning while making us more grateful for our own health.

18. Miss You Already (2015)

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

Starring Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, Dominic Cooper

Comedy, Drama, Romance (1h 52m)

6.8 on IMDb — 71% on RT

When we get good news, obviously the first person we want to tell is our best mate. But what if your best friend is going through hell? You don't exactly want to rub salt on their wound with your own fortune!

That's the pickle that Jess (played by Drew Barrymore) finds herself in when she finds out that her IVF treatment was successful, while her best friend Milly (played by Toni Collette) is still waiting to undergo a double mastectomy for breast cancer.

You see, after finally settling down with her rock star hubby, Milly avoided her check-ups because she didn't want to face the truth. She confides in her bestie Jess during chemotherapy, but they grow more distant as the cancer spreads and progresses.

Miss You Already is a wake-up call to pay attention to health and stop delaying those regular check-ups. Catherine Hardwicke inspires us to keep our loved ones close with this adaptation of Morwenna Bank's 2013 radio drama Goodbye .

17. Now Is Good (2012)

Directed by Ol Parker

Starring Dakota Fanning, Josef Altin, Jeremy Irvine

Drama, Romance (1h 43m)

7.0 on IMDb — 56% on RT

With New Age beliefs back on the rise, we're reminded by health gurus and TED Talks to always stay present and to enjoy The Now.

Director Ol Parker emphasizes this message in Now Is Good by telling the story of a terminally ill teenager who's trying to check off her bucket list. Diagnosed with leukemia, 17-year-old Tessa (played by Dakota Fanning) really does only have The Now.

Based on Jenny Downham's 2007 book Before I Die , Now Is Good teaches us: "Life is a series of moments. Let them go. Moments all gathering toward this one." Fanning outshines the (admittedly clichéd) storyline with her powerful performance, alongside Jeremy Irvine.

16. The Bucket List (2007)

Directed by Rob Reiner

Starring Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes

Adventure, Comedy, Drama (1h 37m)

7.4 on IMDb — 41% on RT

Death is an inevitable part of life and we all know it's coming sooner or later; the only thing we don't know is when . That's why when terminal illnesses strike, we naturally want to cram as much living in as possible.

In The Bucket List , Edward (played by Jack Nicholson) and Carter (played by Morgan Freeman) are two terminally ill men who decide to go through their individual bucket lists before lung cancer gets the best of them.

They're polar opposites—one's a mechanic while the other's a millionaire—but the two men form an unlikely friendship. Odd couples like this often end up being the most interesting to watch, and that's certainly the case here as they bicker, laugh, and learn from each other.

Rob Reiner's comedy-drama takes us on the road for all sorts of adventures we didn't realize we needed to check off, too! It's a real crowd-pleaser that made the National Board of Review's top ten movies of 2007.

15. Last Holiday (2006)

Directed by Wayne Wang

Starring Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton

6.5 on IMDb — 55% on RT

Like many characters in the movies on this list, Georgia Byrd (played by Queen Latifah) is also looking to check off her list before kicking the bucket, which she unexpectedly finds out is only weeks away.

Having lived a quiet life inside of her shell, Georgia's dreams lay hidden in her "Possibilities" scrapbook before a CT scan reveals a brain tumor. Suddenly, her dreams are laid out in front of her, and Georgia catches the next flight out to the Czech Republic.

During this final holiday, Georgia experiences all kinds of delicacies, spa treatments, extreme sports, and new connections. The whole experience teaches Georgia to be bold, take risks, and fall in love.

14. Love Story (1970)

Directed by Arthur Hiller

Starring Ali MacGraw, Ryan O'Neal, John Marley

Drama, Romance (1h 40m)

6.9 on IMDb — 66% on RT

Love Story is an apt title for Arthur Hiller's Oscar-nominated drama, as it was quickly considered one of the "most romantic films of all time" by the American Film Institute. Even more unusual is that critics dubbed Love Story better than the original book it was based on!

Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal star in this romance flick as Jenny and Oliver, two halves of a couple from differing social classes. The duo fall in love but end up torn apart by Jenny's terminal diagnosis.

You can tell from Francis Lai's Academy Award-winning score that Love Story is nothing if not melodramatic... and we love it! The film's only major criticism was for its depiction of Jenny's cancer as a vague illness.

13. The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Directed by Josh Boone

Starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff

Drama, Romance (2h 6m)

7.7 on IMDb — 81% on RT

Unless you were living under a rock in 2014, you've probably heard of The Fault in Our Stars . After John Green's 2012 novel was a sell-out success, teens flooded to theaters to catch Josh Boone's movie adaptation.

Sure, The Fault in Our Stars might be a run-of-the-mill teen drama, but even adults can't resist shedding a tear or two here. Cancer-stricken lovers will always be a sad story—even more so when they're young!

Hazel (played by Shailene Woodley) is the protagonist, forever hauling that oxygen tank around, but it's actually Gus (played by Ansel Elgort) who takes a turn for the worst. Some may laugh at his metaphorically unlit cigarette, but no one can deny the impact it had on teens at the time.

12. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Starring Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke

Comedy, Drama, Romance (1h 45m)

Okay, the title of this film is pretty blunt, but it's precisely that blend of frankness and nostalgia that makes it so good.

In Me and Earl and the Dying Girl , Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's passion for cinema comes through in expressing the beauty of life, the fragility of which is highlighted through Rachel's illness (played by Olivia Cooke).

Greg (played by Thomas Mann) and Earl (played by RJ Cyler) have been making short films together for years, parodying famous titles with their Super 8 to pass the days.

When Greg's parents force him to reconnect with an old school friend—recently diagnosed with leukemia—he can think of no better way to pay his respects than by making her a movie. The final product is rustically gorgeous; a perfect blend of art, comedy, and friendship.

11. Babyteeth (2019)

Directed by Shannon Murphy

Starring Eliza Scanlen, Michelle Lotters, Toby Wallace

Comedy, Drama, Music (1h 58m)

7.2 on IMDb — 94% on RT

We can't help who we fall in love with, and that includes a homeless drug addict who's seven years older than you.

That age gap might not mean so much if Milla (played by Eliza Scanlen) wasn't still in school—or if she didn't have cancer. Of course, her wealthy professional parents don't approve of Moses (played by Toby Wallace), but they allow him to stay on account of how happy he makes her.

Moses lives a reckless lifestyle that's dangerous for anyone, let alone a sick, impressionable young girl. When Milla's first love turns out to be using her, her burden is made heavier as the end of her life approaches.

Scanlen's film debut is electric yet tender, a brilliant rendition of Rita Kalnejais's stage play, directed by Shannon Murphy.

10. Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017)

Directed by Paul McGuigan

Starring Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Vanessa Redgrave

Biography, Drama, Romance (1h 45m)

6.7 on IMDb — 81% on RT

A unique title for a unique movie, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool tells the surprising true story of an ex-Hollywood starlet falling in love with some random guy from Liverpool.

Gloria Grahame was famous during cinema's Golden Age, from the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life to film noirs like The Big Heat . By the time Gloria entered her 50s, she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer and flown to the UK to perform in one final play.

Who'd have thought the Oscar-winning actress would end up dancing alone at a boarding house in dreary North England? It's here that Peter Turner finds Gloria—eccentric, flirtatious, and palpably sad.

The most obvious element of Paul McGuigan's biographical love story is the 30-year age gap between Gloria and Peter (brilliantly portrayed by Annette Bening and Jamie Bell) but age is just a number here.

9. Terms of Endearment (1983)

Directed by James L. Brooks

Starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson

Comedy, Drama (2h 12m)

7.4 on IMDb — 81% on RT

The majority of Terms of Endearment has nothing to do with terminal illness, but it does play a pivotal role in the final act. Based on the 1975 novel, Terms of Endearment depicts the volatile relationship between a mother and her daughter over a 30-year span.

Teenage angst turns into a disapproved marriage, and Emma (played by Debra Winger) navigates financial hardship and her husband's infidelity with her mother on the other end of the phone.

Aurora (played by Shirley MacLaine) has her own problems, but she puts off facing them to control her grown daughter's life.

When Emma becomes a mother herself, that's what eventually unites her with Aurora again—though their relationship is still not without its spats. Then, Emma gets diagnosed with terminal cancer.

8. My Sister's Keeper (2009)

Directed by Nick Cassavetes

Starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin

Drama, Family (1h 49m)

7.3 on IMDb — 47% on RT

In My Sister's Keeper , the cancer victim is a mere 15 years old, which only heaps extra tragedy on top of her illness. And the only thing worse than being inflicted with leukemia? Your child having it.

Cameron Diaz was praised for her moving depiction of a mother on the brink of grief, alongside impressive child performances from Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva.

My Sister's Keeper isn't just a sob story about what it's like to have cancer. It goes deeper and wrestles with the moral dilemma of "savior siblings."

The thing is, Anna (played by Abigail Breslin) was conceived through IVF for the sole purpose of being her sister's organ donor, so they've both spent most of their lives in the hospital.

Anna decides to take legal action against her parents, and Nick Cassavetes weighs our empathy between both parties in this original and thought-provoking drama that'll break your heart.

7. Peter's Friends (1992)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Starring Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson

Comedy, Drama, Romance (1h 41m)

7.0 on IMDb — 65% on RT

Peter's Friends is an old-school British gem that leaves its most dramatic parts for the end. Up until the big reveal, Kenneth Branagh gives us a straight-up sarcastic comedy that unfolds over the course of a weekend.

The setting is New Year's Day, 1992, and Peter's friends have all gathered at his inherited estate to celebrate and reminisce. They've been a gang since their Cambridge acting days a decade prior, but there's more to Peter's hospitality than they first realize.

The sparking chemistry between the ensemble cast is what makes this movie feel so real, funny, and heartwarming—because all of these actors are actually friends in real life!

Stephen Fry, Kenneth Branagh, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton, and Emma Thompson have starred in multiple films together, so their genuine on-screen affection makes Peter's announcement that much more emotional.

6. Living (2022)

Directed by Oliver Hermanus

Starring Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp

Drama (1h 42m)

7.2 on IMDb — 96% on RT

The trope of living life to the fullest in the wake of terminal illness is a trope that's been done every which way, but one of the best ways is in Living . Based on Ikiru , Oliver Hermanus brings Akira Kurosawa's noir masterpiece to Western viewers without losing any of its charm.

Even if Living is geared towards mainstream viewers and casts familiar faces in a familiar English setting, it retains the soul of Ikiru while jazzing it up with stunning vintage visuals.

The 1.48:1 aspect ratio goes hand-in-hand with Living 's 1950s period setting, where Bill Nighy stars as a London bureaucrat with an essence of Ebenezer Scrooge about him.

The snow-dusted world of Dickens is also present towards the end of Living , where we find Rodney on a swing set after accepting his cancer diagnosis. Certainly the coziest film to come out of 2022!

5. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Directed by Wes Anderson

Starring Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston

Comedy, Drama (1h 50m)

7.6 on IMDb — 81% on RT

Gene Hackman's Royal Tenenbaum is one of the best anti-heroes in Wes Anderson's canon. He's a compelling protagonist who isn't quite a baddie, but not exactly a goodie, either. So, what makes him bad?

Well, Royal is faking stomach cancer to win back his family (and their money). Kicked out of his hotel room home, Royal guilt-trips his ex-wife and estranged kids into letting him live with them again.

The Tenenbaum family tree is complex and unusual, with Royal's three genius children feeling more like caricatures than actual people (in a good, iconic Halloween costume kind of way).

At the center of all this dysfunction is Royal himself: a gambling, lying, money-grubbing cancer patient without the cancer. Even so, you might find yourself sort of loving him by the end, anyway.

4. 50/50 (2011)

Directed by Jonathan Levine

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick

Comedy, Drama, Romance (1h 40m)

7.6 on IMDb — 93% on RT

It's difficult to make a great film about cancer that isn't a heavy-handed tearjerker, but Jonathan Levine manages to bring us a superb balance of pathos and comedy in 50/50 .

Adam (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is 27 years old and diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on his spine. He has a 50 percent chance of survival and must navigate the stages of grief, which is made harder by his sudden breakup with his cheating girlfriend.

You probably don't think of Seth Rogen as a great pairing for a cancer movie, but he's actually the perfect casting as Adam's crude best friend who carries him through chemo with humor.

50/50 isn't the kind of film that requires a sad ending for plausibility, but it does have a touch of realism that makes it unexpectedly powerful.

3. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Directed by Richard Brooks

Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives

Drama (1h 48m)

7.9 on IMDb — 97% on RT

In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , it's not the protagonist who's plagued with cancer but his father. Big Daddy's (played by Burl Ives) diagnosis is what forces the rest of the characters to face their own skeletons in the closet.

Adapted from Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning play—a true Southern discomfort— Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has been repeatedly performed on both stage and big screen.

Director Richard Brooks brings us the most famous film version, released in 1958 and starring Paul Newman (as Big Daddy's alcoholic son) and Elizabeth Taylor (as his wife, also known as the "cat").

Tennessee Williams reportedly disliked this washed-down, straight-edged MGM adaptation, but that was mainly due to the restrictions put on the film by the Hays Code. Still, that doesn't mean critics, audiences, and the Academy Awards didn't love it!

2. Philadelphia (1993)

Directed by Jonathan Demme

Starring Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell

Drama (2h 5m)

Sufferers of HIV/AIDS had it bad in the 1980s, but what made things even worse was the shame that came with the diagnosis.

An ignorant society made victims feel like they had to hide their illness to avoid being blamed for it in some way—an awful reality that Jonathan Demme brings under the microscope in Philadelphia .

Tom Hanks stars as a senior associate of a law firm, who not only has to conceal his sexuality but also his life-threatening lesions.

Andrew (played by Tom Hanks) is turned down by several lawyers who fear "catching" his illness, but is finally accepted by Joe Miller (played by Denzel Washington), who sees a parallel with the discrimination he himself faces for his race.

What follows is a heartbreaking story—inspired by the actual life of Geoffrey Bowers—that won multiple Academy Awards.

1. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto

Biography, Drama (1h 57m)

7.9 on IMDb — 92% on RT

Although we feel sorry for rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof (played by Matthew McConaughey), he's not the most likable guy. Indeed, he's a foul-mouthed, homophobic drug user who refuses to acknowledge his own AIDS diagnosis.

Whether or not he accepts it, Ron only has 30 days left to live—so he desperately turns to clinical drug trials for help.

Matthew McConaughey gives a startling lead performance as the real-life AIDS victim, and the film swept the 86th Academy Awards. And while Jared Leto might not be making the best role choices nowadays, Dallas Buyers Club sits among his best all-time performances.

Both McConaughey and Leto lost huge amounts of weight for their roles, unrecognizable behind their polar-opposite characters who end up working together to change history.

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20 Essential Films About Cancer

February 13, 2019 --> By Mark S. King

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, this film about a young man diagnosed with spinal cancer walk s  a fine line between buddy comedy and emotional drama. For the most part, the two actors succeed, helped enormously by a screenplay that keeps the characters and plot human—and often quite funny. Based on the life of the movie’s screenwriter, Will Reiser.

• Next Brian’s Song (1971)

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Best Movies for Cancer Patients

Film has the power to transport us to another time and place. Movies can make us laugh, cry, scream and so much more. And, when dealing with a cancer diagnosis, “leaving” your current situation for even the briefest moment can provide a much-needed respite. Our Facebook followers shared their top picks to watch during cancer treatment:

• Young Frankenstein is my favorite comedy movie. Sure to make people smile & forget about their concerns. — Tom
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Uncle Buck, Elf, Animal House, Old School. — Christine
• I watched Elf! Oh, and my friend Diane brought over Magic Mike. That helped take my mind off treatment! — Kelly
• Anything that takes the mind in another direction for a while. — Debbie
• Robin Williams in Patches. — Cherie
• I had very advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1990, and the night before each chemo session, I'd watch Alien and Aliens. I really identified with Ripley in the first movie, who had to venture out in the darkness of the ship full of her dead comrades, trying to save herself and her cat against an implacable foe. She was armed only with one rifle, and knew she probably wasn't going to make it. The smart thing would have been to just sit and wait for the unstoppable alien to get her, but instead, she picked up her rifle and stepped out into the darkness. — Claire
• Loved watching Ridiculousness while I was there...I know it's not a movie. Laughter sure helped my roommate vomit quicker and get it over with, and she said she felt better. Any funny videos. — Kathleen
• I watched Creed for the first time during my R-CHOP...It was inspiring, but when Rocky got cancer, it was very emotional and hit home…but he fought through it, and I sure as hell was gonna keep going. — John
• I’d say Lion King, but I was just a kid when I was diagnosed at the time. — Casey

Looking for a movie or documentary specifically about cancer or a cancer patient? Here are some options:

• The Emperor of All Maladies
• After the Rain
• The Fault in Our Stars
• A Walk to Remember
• My Sister’s Keeper
• Funny People

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Top Inspirational Movies for Cancer Patients: Uplifting Film List

When facing a cancer diagnosis, finding hope and inspiration can be a powerful tool in the fight against the disease. One way to tap into these emotions is through the power of cinema. There are a plethora of films that offer messages of resilience, courage, and hope, providing a source of strength for those going through similar challenges.

Key Takeaways

• Watching uplifting movies can provide cancer patients with hope and motivation
• Films can offer a source of strength during challenging times
• There are a variety of movies that cater specifically to the experiences of cancer patients and survivors

Finding Courage through Cinema: Uplifting Films for Cancer Survivors

For cancer survivors, finding inspiration and hope can be crucial in their ongoing journey towards recovery. Fortunately, cinema offers a range of uplifting movies that cater specifically to their experiences, providing messages of resilience and courage.

The Fault in Our Stars is a 2014 romantic drama that tells the story of two teenagers who fall in love while battling cancer. The film portrays the importance of finding joy in life despite facing adversity, highlighting the power of love and friendship in overcoming challenges.

50/50 , released in 2011, is a comedy-drama that follows a young man’s journey with cancer and his best friend’s efforts to support him. The film emphasizes the importance of having a strong support system during challenging times and the power of humor in coping with illness.

Life, Animated , a 2016 documentary, tells the story of a young man with autism who uses Disney movies to communicate with the world. It portrays how his love for movies helped him cope with his illness and find a sense of purpose and belonging.

These films, among others, serve as a reminder to cancer survivors that they are not alone in their journey and that there is always hope for recovery. By offering messages of resilience, courage, and hope, they provide a source of inspiration and comfort to those facing similar challenges.

Overcoming Adversity: Motivational Movies for Cancer Patients

Cancer patients face unique challenges that can test their resilience and determination. However, there are stories of individuals who have faced similar challenges and triumphed, inspiring others to do the same. This section highlights movies that showcase individuals overcoming adversity, including cancer. These films offer messages of strength, determination, and perseverance that can motivate and uplift cancer patients throughout their journey.

The Bucket List (2007) follows the journey of two terminally ill men, played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, who embark on a road trip to fulfill their dreams before they die. This movie showcases the power of living life to the fullest, even in the face of adversity. 50/50 (2011) tells the story of a young man, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is diagnosed with cancer and must navigate the challenges of the disease with the help of his best friend, played by Seth Rogen. This movie provides a realistic portrayal of the emotional and physical toll cancer can have on patients, while also highlighting their strength and resilience. My Life (1993) stars Michael Keaton as a man who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides to create a video diary for his unborn child. This film highlights the power of love and the importance of making the most of every moment.

These movies demonstrate that cancer patients can find strength within themselves and overcome adversity with resilience and determination. They inspire hope, encourage positivity, and remind patients that they are not alone in their journey.

Stories of Triumph: Inspiring Movies about Overcoming Cancer

Cancer can be a difficult journey, but stories of those who have successfully overcome the disease can serve as a source of hope and inspiration for patients. The following movies tell true stories of individuals who found strength, courage, and resilience in their battle with cancer.

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Based on the best-selling novel by John Green, this film tells the story of two teenagers with terminal cancer who fall in love and go on a journey of self-discovery. Despite their illness, they make the most of their time together and share a deep connection that inspires them to live life to the fullest.

Brian’s Song (1971)

This classic film tells the true story of Brian Piccolo, a football player who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. It depicts his friendship with fellow player Gale Sayers and their journey to break the color barrier in professional sports during a time of racial tension. Brian’s Song is a touching tribute to the power of friendship and the human spirit.

Cultivating Hope: True Stories of Inspiration for Cancer Patients

For cancer patients, finding hope and inspiration can be a vital source of strength during their journey. True stories of individuals who have faced similar challenges and emerged stronger can provide a powerful sense of reassurance and optimism. The following movies offer true portrayals of hope and inspiration for cancer patients:

These true stories of perseverance and hope showcase the power of the human spirit to overcome even the greatest of obstacles, including cancer. By watching these movies, cancer patients can feel reassured and inspired to keep fighting.

The Power of Positivity: Feel-Good Movies for Cancer Patients

Sometimes it can be difficult for cancer patients to find reasons to smile, but feel-good movies can provide a much-needed source of positivity and joy. These films offer a break from the challenges of cancer treatment and remind patients to focus on the brighter side of life.

One excellent example is “The Bucket List,” starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. The movie tells the story of two terminally ill men who embark on a road trip with a list of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket.” The film offers a poignant reminder to live life to the fullest, even in the face of adversity.

Another great feel-good movie is “Little Miss Sunshine,” which follows a dysfunctional family on a road trip to enter their young daughter into a beauty pageant. The film explores themes of perseverance, resilience, and the power of family love.

“Up,” an animated movie from Pixar, is another fantastic feel-good movie. The movie tells the story of a widower who embarks on a journey to South America with a young boy in a flying house. The film offers a heartwarming message about the power of adventure, love, and friendship.

The Role of Feel-Good Movies in Cancer Care

While feel-good movies may not cure cancer, they can certainly help to lift the spirits of cancer patients and provide a much-needed source of positivity. A positive attitude has been linked to better health outcomes, making feel-good movies a valuable addition to any cancer care plan.

“Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.” – Steve Maraboli

Quotes like this one illustrate the value of positivity in dealing with the challenges of cancer. Feel-good movies offer a way to cultivate positivity and inspire courage in the face of adversity.

• “The Bucket List”
• “Little Miss Sunshine”
• “Up”

These movies are just a few examples of the many uplifting films that can bring joy and positivity to the lives of cancer patients.

Impactful Films for Cancer Warriors

For cancer patients, watching films that depict their journey can be a source of comfort, hope, and inspiration. These impactful films provide a holistic understanding of the struggles and triumphs that come with a cancer diagnosis. Here are some recommended movies that showcase the resilience and strength of cancer warriors:

These films offer a glimpse into the realities of cancer while also highlighting the incredible strength, courage, and resilience of cancer warriors. Watching these movies can provide solace and a sense of community to those going through similar experiences.

The Comprehensive Approach at Brio-medical Cancer Clinic

The Brio-medical cancer clinic, located in Scottsdale, AZ, offers a comprehensive approach to cancer care. Led by Dr. Nathan Goodyear , the clinic’s mission is to provide personalized, holistic treatment modalities that take into account the unique needs of each patient.

At Brio-medical, the focus is not only on treating cancer but also on improving the overall well-being of patients. The clinic provides a range of therapies, including immunotherapy, alternative and integrative cancer treatments, and nutritional and lifestyle counseling.

The clinic’s approach is based on the belief that cancer is not just a physical disease but also affects a patient’s mental and emotional well-being. Therefore, Brio-medical offers a comprehensive approach that addresses all aspects of a patient’s health.

Personalized Treatment Plans

At Brio-medical cancer clinic, every patient receives a personalized treatment plan that is tailored to their individual needs. The clinic’s multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals works closely with each patient to develop a comprehensive plan that addresses their unique medical, emotional, and lifestyle needs.

“We believe in treating the whole person, not just the cancer. Our approach is to empower patients to take control of their health and well-being by providing them with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions about their care.” – Dr. Nathan Goodyear, Brio-medical clinic

The Benefits of a Holistic Approach

Research has shown that a holistic approach to cancer care can have numerous benefits for patients. By addressing all aspects of a patient’s health, including physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, patients may experience reduced side effects, improved quality of life, and better treatment outcomes.

The Brio-medical cancer clinic’s approach to cancer care is based on this principle, providing patients with a range of treatment options that address all aspects of their health.

Experience Comprehensive Cancer Care at Brio-medical Cancer Clinic

If you or a loved one is facing a cancer diagnosis, it’s important to seek comprehensive cancer care from a team of healthcare professionals who prioritize your well-being. Brio-medical cancer clinic offers personalized treatment plans that address all aspects of a patient’s health, providing patients with the support and resources they need to navigate their cancer journey.

To schedule a consultation at Brio-medical cancer clinic, call 866-379-8381 today. Take the first step towards comprehensive cancer care and start your journey towards recovery.

The Importance of Holistic Cancer Care

In treating cancer patients, a comprehensive approach that considers the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of the patient is critically important. This is where holistic cancer care comes into play.

Holistic cancer care is an approach that focuses on the whole person, taking into account all aspects of their life. It recognizes that health is not merely the absence of disease but a state of complete physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.

At Brio-medical cancer clinic, this comprehensive approach is at the center of their treatment philosophy. They understand that each patient’s journey is unique and deserves a personalized approach to caregiving.

Along with conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, Brio-medical offers a range of complementary therapies such as ozone therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and IV nutrient therapy to support the body’s natural healing processes.

Moreover, Brio-medical’s expert clinicians and staff provide support for patients at every step of their journey, offering emotional and spiritual support in addition to standard medical care.

By prioritizing the patient’s well-being, Brio-medical cancer clinic ensures that their patients receive comprehensive care that addresses both the physical and emotional aspects of cancer.

Schedule a Consultation at Brio-medical Cancer Clinic

If you or someone you know is currently battling cancer, it is important to seek out comprehensive cancer care that takes into account all aspects of the disease. Brio-medical cancer clinic, located in Scottsdale, AZ, is committed to providing patients with a holistic approach to cancer care that addresses not only the physical side effects of cancer but also the emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of patients.

To schedule a consultation with the experienced team at Brio-medical cancer clinic, simply call their office at 866-379-8381. During your consultation, you will have the opportunity to discuss your individual case and explore the various treatment options that may be available to you.

Watching inspiring movies can be a powerful tool in helping cancer patients find hope and motivation during their difficult journey. From stories of triumph and resilience to movies that bring joy and positivity, the films recommended in this article offer a source of strength and comfort for those going through cancer.

Moreover, as highlighted in this article, a comprehensive approach to cancer care is crucial in providing patients with the support and resources they need to fight the disease. The Brio-medical cancer clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, under the guidance of Dr. Nathan Goodyear, offers a holistic approach to cancer treatment, taking into account not only the physical aspects but also the emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of patients.

If you or a loved one is facing cancer, consider exploring the recommended films and reaching out to Brio-medical cancer clinic for support and guidance. To schedule a consultation, call 866-379-8381 or visit their website for more information.

Q: What are the top inspirational movies recommended for cancer patients?

A: The top inspirational movies recommended for cancer patients include “The Fault in Our Stars,” “50/50,” “A Walk to Remember,” and “The Bucket List.”

Q: What are some uplifting films specifically catered to cancer survivors?

A: Some uplifting films specifically catered to cancer survivors include “Now is Good,” “Life as a House,” “Sweet November,” and “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Q: Are there any motivational movies that showcase individuals overcoming cancer?

A: Yes, there are motivational movies that showcase individuals overcoming cancer. Some examples include “Stronger,” “The Sessions,” “Wit,” and “Patch Adams.”

Q: Can you recommend any inspiring movies about overcoming cancer based on true stories?

A: Some inspiring movies about overcoming cancer based on true stories include “The Theory of Everything,” “My Left Foot,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” and “Lorenzo’s Oil.”

Q: Are there any movies that share true stories of hope for cancer patients?

A: Yes, there are movies that share true stories of hope for cancer patients. Examples include “The Bucket List,” “Breathe,” “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” and “The Power of One.”

Q: Can you recommend any feel-good movies that bring joy and positivity to cancer patients?

A: Certainly! Some feel-good movies that bring joy and positivity to cancer patients are “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Sing Street,” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” and “The Intouchables.”

Q: Which impactful films depict the journey of cancer warriors?

A: Impactful films that depict the journey of cancer warriors include “Love and Other Drugs,” “The Soloist,” “One True Thing,” and “50/50.”

Q: What is the comprehensive approach taken by Brio-medical Cancer Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ?

A: Brio-medical Cancer Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, under the guidance of Dr. Nathan Goodyear, takes a comprehensive approach to cancer care. They offer holistic treatment modalities and are committed to providing comprehensive cancer care.

Q: Why is holistic cancer care important?

A: Holistic cancer care is important because it takes into account not only the physical aspects of cancer but also the emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of patients. It focuses on treating the whole person, promoting overall well-being and quality of life.

Q: How can I schedule a consultation at Brio-medical Cancer Clinic?

A: To schedule a consultation at Brio-medical Cancer Clinic, you can call 866-379-8381. Their friendly staff will assist you in setting up an appointment for personalized cancer care and support.

Dr. Nathan Goodyear, MD, MDH, ABAARM

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12 Uplifting Movies About Breast Cancer

Updated 09/26/2023

Published 11/28/2019

Amy Wolkenhauer, BA in English/Creative Writing

Contributing writer

Cake values integrity and transparency. We follow a strict editorial process to provide you with the best content possible. We also may earn commission from purchases made through affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more in our affiliate disclosure .

We’ve chosen 12 movies about breast cancer that may be able to help you through your own breast cancer journey. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find a movie about cancer from our list that speaks to you and your loved ones.

One of these movies should be able to bring you comfort, make you laugh, and help you and your loved ones fight with dignity. They're beautiful, hopeful movies to watch when you or a loved one are sick .

1. The Long Goodbye  

The Long Goodbye follows the story of a wife and mother named Kara. Her devotion to God is ever-present as she fights a terminal breast cancer diagnosis with grace and love. She believes that her diagnosis is a way to show an even greater devotion to God.

This relentless positive outlook carries her through her sickness. It’s Kara’s tremendous heart that makes this story uplifting, even if Kara must leave her family.

If you have a close group of girlfriends with whom you spend a lot of time laughing, this film will also give you some perspective as they go into battle with you.

Buy or Rent Movie on Amazon

2. Mondays at Racine

In Mondays at Racine , hairstylists Rachel and Cynthia open up the doors of Racine Salon and Spa every third Monday to help women who are battling cancer. These sisters give women a connection and the idea that the women don’t need to fight alone.

The process is easier when they have other women around to go through the insecurities as a sisterhood. Women from all backgrounds and ages experience things differently but the commonality is that they’re all in the struggle together. They say that laughter is the best medicine, so sisters Rachel and Cynthia cultivate a place where laughter closely follows any tears.

3. Miss You Already

Jess and Milly navigate the collision of friendship and sadness in Miss You Already . Milly is diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, but their friendship remains steadfast. Milly is both charming and raw and doesn’t downplay her fatigue, jealousy, or her anger.

Milly offers a balance between heartwarming and heartbreaking moments but it’s the bond between Jess and Milly that gives the movie its most significant value. Their friendship carries Milly through to the end. 

Share your final wishes, just in case.

Create a free Cake end-of-life planning profile and instantly share your health, legal, funeral, and legacy decisions with a loved one.

Spanish-speaking movies hold a certain kind of flair for storylines and acting. They often include some surprise additions (like singing) that seem somewhat out of place. While Ma Ma  is not an overtly feel-good movie, it does show the beauty of living up until the very last moment.

Penélope Cruz's character embraces life. She’s afflicted with cancer but also finds reasons to laugh with her family, particularly with her son. The theme of this film is about sucking out all the marrow of life. This brilliantly acted movie is also about holding on to loved ones and maintaining your humanity until your final day. 

5. Love Is All You Need    

Love Is All You Need , which stars Trine Dyrholm and Pierce Brosnan, represents change, loss, vulnerability, love, and acceptance. It makes a cruel disease seem like a journey of self-discovery.

The characters make life-changing personal discoveries. They fight, throw cocktails in each others’ faces, and then they smile, dance, and love. Dyrholm's character is strong, positive, and grounded in reality. Brosnan’s character is charismatic and supportive.

There are many metaphors between Dyrholm’s cancer and a trip to Italy that she takes in the movie. But more than that, the movie helps her discover joy during life’s smaller moments.

6. Decoding Annie Parker  

Decoding Annie Parker  is loosely based on a true story. Dr. Mary-Claire King's genetic research with the BRCA-1 gene mutation has affected many women. Now, early diagnosis of the BRCA-1 gene makes breast cancer a preventable disease. But many women can't afford the surgery or they feel insecure about the aftermath of mastectomies.

The movie centers around Annie Parker, who lost both her mother and sister to the very same disease she battles in the movie. Annie deals with isolation in her marriage, self-image, family struggles, and even decreased sexuality.

Watch Movie on Amazon Prime  

Nothing about 31-year-old Lily  stands out or makes her a remarkable character. But that’s why the film is powerful — anyone can be Lily. More importantly, anyone can go through the same struggles or experience the same little joys. Most films focus on the struggles before and during diagnosis.

But what makes this film original is that it concentrates on the end of treatment and afterward. Lily's friends want to celebrate the end of her treatment, but Lily is almost deflated. She wonders, “What’s next?” 

Five   stories about five women depict cross-cultural experiences with a breast cancer diagnosis. This anthology of humanizing and relatable stories spread across decades. Beginning in the 1960s, we learn about the taboos about the words “cancer” and “breast.” Releasing those stigmas has not only helped women find treatment and information, but also a cure.

Characters Mia, Pearl, Lili, Charlotte, and Cheyanne all come from different backgrounds. Cancer affects them at different ages and stages in life. Their diagnoses also lead them to have very different personal reactions and their loved ones’ reactions are vastly different, too. Five is a worthwhile watch and an inspiring creation from an all-woman cast.

Buy Movie on Amazon

9. Living Proof   

This insightful film  is about a doctor who develops a treatment for HER2 metastatic breast cancer. It centers around the struggle to get FDA approval for a drug called Herceptin. You’ll watch the political and financial hurdles it takes to develop this drug. Even with the approval, the struggle is far from over.

Dr. Slamon discovers that it does not help all women and faces endless guidelines and parameters. Some women are turned away and others do not receive the full treatment. Overall, the movie is uplifting because you can see how people really do fight to find a cure.  

10. The Family Stone   

Nothing says Christmas like uncomfortable and awkward family moments and messy sibling rivalries. Add the propensity to say the wrong thing to the chaos, and everyone is either miserable, projecting or battling some personal chaos. That makes for the perfect set-up of passionate responses and comedy in The Family Stone . Mom reveals her cancer diagnosis at dinner.

This makes everyone take a step back from petty grievances and consider the important things in life. The family as a whole must stop fighting and think about more than petty indifferences. Cancer doesn't play a huge role in the film but the family dynamic does.

11. Her Only Choice   

Many years ago, breast cancer took the life of Tasha's mother. Now, in Her Only Choice , Tasha faces the same genetic diagnosis. To complicate matters, she also discovers that she is pregnant. Her decision to forego cancer treatment upsets the balance within her family.

She is at odds with a husband who is more worried about her than their unborn child. She is at odds with her father, who relives the death of his wife. Tasha is the only one at peace with her decision to save her baby’s life, no matter the cost. 

Watch Now on Amazon Prime

12. Icebound — A Doctor’s Survival at the South Pole

Icebound is based on a physician who decides to escape reality at the South Pole. Dr. Jerri Nielsen has trouble making friends right away but ultimately makes some critical bonds with those who will save her life. Her treatment isn't rudimentary, it’s uncertain:

She has to survive long enough to be evacuated . At the beginning of this film, you feel like the ice and cold really represent Dr. Nielsen’s spirit, but everything begins to thaw as she seeks warmth from the cold. 

Watch the Best Movies About Breast Cancer

Breast cancer can attack anyone at any age. You’ll discover in this selection of films that women and men from many different backgrounds can find a community in their struggle. Whether you’re looking for information about genetics and treatment or just seeking a movie to bring you some comfort, we hope you’ve found one (or two!) great options here.

If movies aren’t really your thing, you could also find meaning in our books about death — we’ve chosen the books on our list for their sensitivity on the subject. Need to help a child understand a cancer diagnosis and you know that a movie won’t be the most appropriate way to do it? Check out our list of children’s books about cancer or children’s books on death .

Categories:

• Movies About Death

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The Cancer Conflict review – poignant documentary on alternative cancer therapies

Two patients take sharply differing approaches as they attempt to beat life-threatening tumours on their own terms

R eleased to coincide with World Cancer Research day , Thomas Meadmore’s tricky yet involving documentary follows two Britons going rogue in search of a better quality of treatment. Grant Branton, from Brighton, is a sometime biologist reeling after early tests spotted tumours in his bowels while missing shadows in his bones; Surinder Paul, landed with breast cancer, hopes to avoid a mastectomy by leaning hard into oils, juicing and cravatted energy healers – what oncological voice-of-reason Rob Glynne-Jones calls “quackery”. Both have taken their lives into their own hands, which notionally affords them greater control but also obliges them to take critical decisions – even fashion their own suppositories – on ever-dwindling energy reserves. It’s tricky because Meadmore largely detaches these subjects from any context beyond the rooms they’re in. (There’s nothing about Branton’s career as a commercials and music video producer, for example.) Emphasis is thereby placed firmly on the individual, but many viewers will want more about Branton and Paul’s precise relationship to the NHS, and – if they went private – how and how much they’re paying. (It’s unclear from what is shown, possibly reflecting the blurred lines of modern British healthcare.) As carefully applied voiceover takes pains to establish, these two are outliers: Branton’s Facebook interactions and a troubling encounter with a self-appointed American guru illustrate how close we are to the fringes of anti-science conspiracy theory.

Yet both remain compelling figures, eliciting natural sympathy and concern as they eye the enemy within. (No melodramatic “fights” or “battles” here – just the humdrum reality of endless tests and meetings to reveal results of tests.) Alpha-adjacent Branton endures horrific coughing fits to reaffirm his love for wife Christine; while Paul has the advantage of a large, loving, supportive family, she’s evidently determined to go her own way. For his part, Meadmore bides ever-more-valuable time, monitoring his subjects’ ebbs and flows, allowing them to make their own choices and us to form our own opinions, before finally ensuring the facts of these poignant case studies speak for themselves.

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Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "cancer-treatment"

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1. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct.

Director: Taika Waititi | Stars: Chris Hemsworth , Natalie Portman , Christian Bale , Tessa Thompson

Votes: 400,188 | Gross: $343.26M

2. Saw X (2023)

R | 118 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

A sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable.

Director: Kevin Greutert | Stars: Tobin Bell , Shawnee Smith , Synnøve Macody Lund , Steven Brand

Votes: 72,933

3. Creed (II) (2015)

PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Drama, Sport

The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Michael B. Jordan , Sylvester Stallone , Tessa Thompson , Phylicia Rashad

Votes: 310,570 | Gross: $109.77M

4. Clear and Present Danger (1994)

PG-13 | 141 min | Action, Crime, Drama

CIA Analyst Jack Ryan is drawn into an illegal war fought by the US government against a Colombian drug cartel.

Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Harrison Ford , Willem Dafoe , Anne Archer , Joaquim de Almeida

Votes: 107,806 | Gross: $122.19M

5. 50/50 (2011)

R | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.

Director: Jonathan Levine | Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Seth Rogen , Anna Kendrick , Bryce Dallas Howard

Votes: 342,768 | Gross: $35.01M

6. A Monster Calls (2016)

PG-13 | 108 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

Conor, a twelve-year-old boy, encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.

Director: J.A. Bayona | Stars: Lewis MacDougall , Sigourney Weaver , Felicity Jones , Toby Kebbell

Votes: 93,761 | Gross: $3.74M

7. Made for Love (2021–2022)

TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi

A young woman, on the run after 10 years in a suffocating marriage to a tech billionaire, suddenly realizes that her husband has implanted a revolutionary monitoring device in her brain that allows him to track her every move.

Stars: Cristin Milioti , Billy Magnussen , Ray Romano , Dan Bakkedahl

Votes: 12,486

8. The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

PG-13 | 92 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

After a family is forced to relocate for their son's health, they begin experiencing supernatural behavior in their new home, and uncover a sinister history.

Director: Peter Cornwell | Stars: Virginia Madsen , Martin Donovan , Elias Koteas , Kyle Gallner

Votes: 65,133 | Gross: $55.39M

9. Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife (2023)

TV-MA | 53 min | Documentary, Crime, History

Dr. Paolo Macchiarini is world famous for his revolutionary stem cell-infused windpipe transplants. There's just one problem: His patients keep dying.

Stars: Benita Alexander-Noel , Karl-Henrik Grinnemo , Oscar Simonson , Dorne Lyles

Votes: 4,412

10. The Forger (2014)

R | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A thief works with his father and son to forge a painting by Monet and steal the original. Together, they plan the heist of their lives.

Director: Philip Martin | Stars: John Travolta , Christopher Plummer , Tye Sheridan , Abigail Spencer

Votes: 13,287

11. Comet (2014)

R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Set in a parallel universe, Comet bounces back and forth over the course of an unlikely but perfectly paired couple's six-year relationship.

Director: Sam Esmail | Stars: Justin Long , Emmy Rossum , Kayla Servi , Eric Winter

Votes: 19,641

12. Castle Falls (2021)

Not Rated | 90 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

Rival gangs seek out millions of dollars hidden inside a hospital that's scheduled to be demolished, but first they have to deal with the construction worker who found the loot first.

Director: Dolph Lundgren | Stars: Scott Adkins , Dolph Lundgren , Vas Sanchez , Scott Hunter

Votes: 2,821

13. Ma ma (2015)

R | 111 min | Drama

In the aftermath of a tragedy a woman, Magda, reacts with a surge of newfound life that engulfs her circle of family and friends.

Director: Julio Medem | Stars: Penélope Cruz , Luis Tosar , Asier Etxeandia , Teo Planell

Votes: 4,739 | Gross: $0.05M

14. The Crash (2017)

R | 84 min | Crime, Thriller

In the not-so-distant future, a team of white-collar criminals are enlisted by the Federal government to thwart a cyber-attack that threatens to bankrupt the United States of America.

Director: Aram Rappaport | Stars: Frank Grillo , Minnie Driver , AnnaSophia Robb , Dianna Agron

Votes: 1,744

15. The Russell Girl (2008 TV Movie)

PG | 120 min | Drama

Sarah Russell, a 23-year-old aspiring medical school student, visits her family to share some important news but instead finds herself confronting a difficult period from her past.

Director: Jeff Bleckner | Stars: Amber Tamblyn , Jennifer Ehle , Henry Czerny , Paul Wesley

Votes: 1,905

16. Farrah's Story (2009 TV Movie)

120 min | Documentary

A look at the last stages of Farrah Fawcett's life as she battles cancer.

Director: Alana Stewart | Stars: Farrah Fawcett , Alana Stewart , Eric Esrailian , Gary Gitnick

17. The Armstrong Lie (2013)

R | 124 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport

A documentary chronicling sports legend Lance Armstrong's improbable rise and ultimate fall from grace.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Lance Armstrong , Reed Albergotti , Betsy Andreu , Frankie Andreu

Votes: 7,889 | Gross: $0.38M

18. The Backup Dancer (2016)

90 min | Comedy, Drama

A story about love and loss. And maybe one day - love again.

Director: Amanda Sharp | Stars: Rose Leslie , Ray Liotta , Carmen Tonry , Alex Reznik

Votes: 1,011

19. Swamp Lion (2022)

111 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A father in a south-Texas border town starts trafficking drugs to pay for his son's cancer treatment.

Director: Torben Bech | Stars: Michael Ray Escamilla , Bre Blair , Jack Elliot Ybarra , Luis Bordonada

20. Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks (2014)

Not Rated | 107 min | Comedy, Drama

A retired woman hires a dance instructor to give her private dance lessons at her home -- one per week for six weeks. What begins as an antagonistic relationship turns into a close friendship as they dance together.

Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman | Stars: Gena Rowlands , Cheyenne Jackson , Jacki Weaver , Rita Moreno

Votes: 364 | Gross: $0.07M

21. Declaration of War (2011)

Not Rated | 100 min | Drama

When their young son is diagnosed with a brain tumor, young parents Roméo and Juliette unite in the fight for his survival.

Director: Valérie Donzelli | Stars: Valérie Donzelli , Jérémie Elkaïm , César Desseix , Gabriel Elkaïm

Votes: 5,314 | Gross: $0.05M

22. The Bright Side (II) (2020)

100 min | Comedy, Drama

A stand-up comedian's life changes when she is diagnosed with breast cancer.

Director: Ruth Meehan | Stars: Gemma-Leah Devereux , Siobhán Cullen , Karen Egan , Barbara Brennan

23. Cancer: The Forbidden Cures (2010)

93 min | Documentary

Director: Massimo Mazzucco | Stars: René Caisse , Carolyn Dean , Charlotte Gerson , Max Gerson

24. Hoxsey: How Healing Becomes a Crime (1988)

TV-G | 83 min | Documentary, Crime

The saga of Harry Hoxsey is often called "the wildest story in medical history" and could have been written by Mark Twain. In 1924, Harry Hoxsey claimed a cure for cancer, herbal remedies ... See full summary  »

Director: Ken Ausubel | Stars: Peter Barry Chowka , Max Gail

25. Journey to the West (2011)

Action, Sport, War

Science activism for health in sports, medicine, and tiger team research and development from Canada and International open collaboration to help anti-radiation material Borax to Japan.

Directors: Brendon Culliton , Joe Hatoum | Stars: Brendon Culliton , Joe Hatoum

26. Hypermoon (2023)

78 min | Documentary

Director Mia receives a life-changing announcement and begins a journey into her own history. We also follow the astronaut's lonely journey through space and the aging gangster Vincent who makes a surprising find in his basement.

Director: Mia Engberg | Stars: Louede Djio , Mia Engberg , Tallulah Whitaker

27. Love Lives On (1985 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 95 min | Drama

A 15-year-old girl must choose between continuing her pregnancy and undergoing treatment for her fast-growing cancer.

Director: Larry Peerce | Stars: Mary Stuart Masterson , Sam Waterston , Christine Lahti , Ricky Paull Goldin

28. The Ones Who Stay (2016)

80 min | Romance

Alexandre, a somewhat lost thirty-something, decides to start out in the professional world. Loris, his misanthropic roommate, works on a universal method to succeed in life, and Patrick, ... See full summary  »

Director: Loïc Paillard | Stars: Benoît Chauvin , Camille Claris , Jean Fornerod , Sylvain Mossot

29. Clownwise (2013)

120 min | Comedy, Drama

At the beginning of their careers Oskar, Max and Viktor created a superstar clown trio called The Busters. Their clownery personified little islands of freedom in the midst of a motionless ... See full summary  »

Director: Viktor Taus | Stars: Didier Flamand , Oldrich Kaiser , Jirí Lábus , Kati Outinen

30. Read You Like a Book (2006)

Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, Romance

A magical book transforms all who come into contact with it. Meet Dante, a bookstore manager with a crippling secret; Gina, a customer, who knows everything but love; Zoe, Dante's former ... See full summary  »

Director: Robert N. Zagone | Stars: Tony Amendola , Joe Bellan , Karen Black , Darren Bridgett

31. The Crossing (1994)

Unrated | 31 min | Short, Drama, Fantasy

This is a visual evangelistic film about a young man who comes back from the dead to show his friend the great love of Christ and truth about the cross.

Director: John Schmidt | Stars: David A.R. White , Kevin Downes , Mercy Malick , Diane Sainte-Marie

32. The Scientist: Are We Missing Something? (2015)

62 min | Documentary, Biography, History

"The Scientist" is a documentary that traces the story of Nobel price nominee Dr Mechoulam from his early days......as a child of the Holocaust in Bulgaria, through his immigration to ... See full summary  »

Director: Zach Klein | Stars: Itai Bab , William A. Devane , Mahmoud A. Elsohly , Lumír Hanus

33. Läkaren som vägrade ge upp (2016)

112 min | Documentary

A Physician combines established with natural medicine and reaches sensational results but are maligned by some colleagues and exposed to media hype that results in judicial crime.

Director: Börje Peratt | Stars: Basilio Domini , Gunnel Enby , Henrik Enby , Enby Erik

34. Athlete (2010)

Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Sport

Examines the popularity of endurance sports and profiles four everyday individuals - cancer survivor, blind senior citizen and twin sisters - who compete in marathons and triathlons and are redefining what it means to be an 'athlete'.

Director: David Lam | Stars: Artie Elefant , Carrie Neveldine , Jenny Hinshaw , Kellie Smirnoff

35. Counting Backwards (2007)

Not Rated | 89 min | Romance

For some, the lives we have are not always the lives we wanted. For Joe, a small time guy from the small time town of Sandwich, Illinois, his has not even come close - until now. Faced with... See full summary  »

Director: Aprill Winney | Stars: Benjamin Montague , Elaine Robinson , Cliff Chamberlain , Morgan McCabe

36. Diamonds on the Inside (2012)

3 min | Short

Dr David Hoxley is researching the use of diamond sensors to help treat cancer.

Directors: Jasmine Funnell , Stephen Scoglio | Stars: David Hoxley , Madeleine Hoxley , Gene Hoxley

37. Captain Infinity

Drama | Announced

Oscar Ruiz hides the truth about his brother's cancer diagnosis by telling him treatment leads to him becoming a superhero.

38. The Wild Cell (1969 TV Movie)

25 min | Documentary

Reviews what is known about the causes, diagnoses and treatments of cancer. Uses photo-micrography, animation, and multi-screen techniques to show how cancer affects and spreads through the body.

Director: Aram Boyajian | Star: Walter Cronkite

39. Forsøget (2014)

56 min | Documentary

Cancer is a major cause of death and for doctor's it is a constant challenge to "crack the code". With exclusive access to a medical unit at a leading cancer hospital in Denmark the film ... See full summary  »

Directors: Louise Detlefsen , Louise Kjeldsen | Stars: Rikke Andersen , Troels Holz Borch , Rikke Glintborg , Benny Vittrup Jensen

40. Future Medicine & the Curse of Immortality (2017 Video)

7 min | Short, Talk-Show

Dave Cullen discusses the problems that may come with us halting the aging process.

Stars: Dave Cullen , Karl Martin , Arjun Bansal

41. Pop (I) (2013)

10 min | Short, Drama, Romance

Set in contemporary Shanghai, it tells the story of an estranged Western couple, Daniel and Carla, who reunite after he writes a letter telling of his terminal illness to Carla.

Director: Philip Gostelow | Stars: Owen Keats Bell , Carla Collado , Alexia Kalteis

42. Cancer-Free World Podcast (2018 Podcast Series)

Join us on The James Cancer-Free World Podcast as we talk to the top scientists and doctors at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and ... See full summary  »

43. Cleo (2002–2003) Episode: Avsnitt 9 (2002)

28 min | Comedy

The sick Åke tries to make amends for his life and livelihood, but it turns out to be more difficult than expected. Frank begins to have performance anxiety about the new boss job.

Director: Daniel Lind Lagerlöf | Stars: Suzanne Reuter , Loa Falkman , Johan Rheborg , Magdalena in de Betou

44. Law & Order (1990– ) Episode: Second Opinion (1994)

TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Kincaid's new partner in the DA's office, Jack McCoy, pursues murder charges for a woman who provided questionable alternative treatments for women suffering from breast cancer.

Director: Edwin Sherin | Stars: Jerry Orbach , Chris Noth , S. Epatha Merkerson , Sam Waterston

45. William and Mary (2003–2005) Episode: Episode #3.2 (2005)

47 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Doris's new bloke Amon, starts making his obnoxious appearance. Terrence starts tagging someone else's turf. Molly continues treatment and enters competitions. William leaves the band but ... See full summary  »

Director: Matthew Evans | Stars: Martin Clunes , Julie Graham , Cheryl Campbell , Michael Begley

46. The X-Files (1993–2018) Episode: Memento Mori (1997)

TV-14 | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Scully attempts to come to terms with her inoperable cancer. Meanwhile Mulder and the Lone Gunmen break into a high-security research lab to find the cure that could save her life.

Director: Rob Bowman | Stars: David Duchovny , Gillian Anderson , Mitch Pileggi , William B. Davis

Votes: 4,152

47. Breaking Bad (2008–2013) Episode: Cancer Man (2008)

TV-14 | 48 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

Walt tells the rest of his family about his cancer. Jesse tries to make amends with his own parents.

Director: Jim McKay | Stars: Bryan Cranston , Anna Gunn , Aaron Paul , Dean Norris

Votes: 29,347

48. Granada Reports (1992– ) Episode: 23 August 2019: Evening Bulletin (2019)

31 min | News

Tony and Ann present a special episode live on the Coronation Street cobbles.

Stars: Tony Morris , Ann O'Connor , Lauren Kerr , Amy James

49. Alan Alda in Scientific American Frontiers (1990– ) Episode: Episode #1.3 (1990)

TV-PG | Documentary

Killer Whale Language Study; Pinpoint Cancer Radiation Therapy; Invasion of the Pupae Snatchers - Parasite Ants; Just Add Water - Scientific American High School Science/Engineering ... See full summary  »

Star: Woodie Flowers

50. RichPlanet TV (2009– ) Episode: Sacred Medicine (2020)

147 min | Documentary, History, News

Richard speaks to alternative health advocates Danielle and Lloyd Bryant who have been running their small business selling alternative health products for over 15 years and, over that time... See full summary  »

Stars: Danielle Bryant , Lloyd Bryant , Richard D. Hall

Recently Viewed

Medicine on Screen

Films and Essays from NLM

Informative Beauty

By Oliver Gaycken, PhD

The archival record is mostly silent on the origins of this short film produced and narrated by Frank Armitage, a medical illustrator who also worked as a Disney animator and mural artist, and whose work demonstrates the rare beauty of medical art. By tracing Armitage’s career, we can contextualize and elucidate Anatomical Animation .

READ ESSAY | VIEW FILM

The Falls of 1972: John B Calhoun and Urban Pessimism

By Jon Adams and Edmund Ramsden, PhD

“Fall, 1972. Scenes Include Last Survivors.” This is the text on the opening slate. What have we missed? For now, it’s enough to know we’ve arrived late in the game. This is not the event, but its aftermath. This is post-apocalypse.

Edgar Ulmer, The NTA, and the Power of Sermonic Medicine

By Devin Orgeron, PhD From the late 1930s through the early 1940s, low-budget filmmaker and perennial Hollywood underdog Edgar G. Ulmer (1904-1972) directed what appear to be eight educational health shorts for the National Tuberculosis Association (NTA).

For Rebels, it’s a Kick…

By Erika Dyck, PhD It’s the late 1960s. Teenagers, a hip voice clues us in, are always looking for kicks, and today’s teens express themselves with cool fashions, groovy hairstyles, and kooky pranks.

Fresh Air and the White Plague

By Cynthia Connolly, PhD, RN, PNP, FAAN It’s 1926. The camera is shaky and the images blurry, but we can see a forested hillside and a crop of buildings. Then more acreage, more structures. Eventually, row upon row of people sunbathing; nurses in white uniforms; fresh milk poured into tin cups; children playing and yes, even boxing.

Can Leprosy Be Cured?

By Magnus Vollset, PhD and Michael Sappol, PhD Leprosy in India  [ Lepra in India  in the original German] is a hard film to watch. In the course of its 12 minutes, it puts before the camera patients who suffer from a variety of symptoms, ranging from mild discoloration of the skin to terrible facial and bodily disfigurement, and loss of fingers and toes.

Erdheim’s Autopsy: Dissection, Motion Pictures, and the Politics of Health in “Red Vienna”

By Tatjana Buklijas, Birgit Nemec, and Katrin Pilz

Sometime in the last century a fragment of silent film landed at the National Library of Medicine. Like many of the older films in the collection, how it got there is a mystery: no paperwork survives to tell the tale; no other prints of the film appear to have survived; no other sources on its making or showing have turned up.

“Light, Air, and Sun!” Die englische Krankheit [The English Disease] and Health Education Films in the Third Reich

By Anja Laukötter A darkly-lit parade of twisted, deformed people slowly, painfully, marches back and forth over a map of England, as the movie soundtrack sounds anxious notes of alarm.

A Cinematic and Physiological Puzzle: Soviet Conjoined Twins Research, Scientific Cinema and Pavlovian Physiology

By Nikolai Krementsov, PhD Among the many old motion pictures shelved in the collection of the National Library of Medicine is a uniquely strange two-reel 16 millimeter film, with an ungainly title: Neural and Humoral Factors in the Regulation of Bodily Functions (Research on Conjoined Twins).

“Stronger and Whiter Light Down Deeper and Darker Holes”: Jacob Sarnoff and the Strange World of Anatomical Filmmaking

By Miriam Posner, PhD

As a historian of medicine’s visual culture, I’ve seen some weird films. But  The Blood Vessels and Their Functions (1924–1925) still took me aback.

Commandments for Health

By Michael Rhode and Michael Sappol, PhD Inspired by the U.S. Army’s popular “Private Snafu” animated cartoon series, late in World War II the Navy hired Hugh Harman (1908–82) to do a similar series, focused on health.

“Come with me, into the visual instruction room”

By Michael Sappol, PhD A dentist invites a young boy: “Come with me, into the visual instruction room.” And with this, Ask Your Dentist, a silent dental film from around 1930, stages a cinematic revue of instructional techniques and tactics.

The Cinema of Schizophrenia

By Mark S. Micale Schizophrenia was a new diagnosis in interwar American medicine. Invented in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler (1857–1939), the term gradually supplanted “dementia praecox,” which after World War I was associated too closely with German psychiatry.

Copper Masks and Faceless Men…

By Zoe Beloff A tiny, black-robed woman scurries down a deserted street and ducks into an alley overgrown with ivy.

Cartoon Fun with Cancer, Cars and Companionate Marriage in Suburban America

By David Cantor, PhD The release of  Man Alive!  in 1952 signaled a change in American anti-cancer campaigns. Since their emergence in the early twentieth century, such campaigns had focused most attention on recruiting women into programs of early detection and treatment.

• Black & White
• Clinical & Surgical
• Educational & Instructional
• Research & Documentation

Psychiatric Interview Films in the Age of Reform: Notes on the Depressive Neurosis Series Filmed by the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1969

NEWEST ESSAY & FILM By Linnéa J. Hussein, PhD

When one thinks of audio-visual recordings of psychiatric patients in the United States in the 1960s, the distressing images of Frederick Wiseman’s observational documentary Titicut Follies (1967) may come to mind. The Depressive Neurosis series from 1969 bears no resemblance to these films. Instead, the series offers a rare glimpse into the day-to-day world of late 1960s psychiatric practice, in which people with addiction, mental illness, or mental disabilities seek help and are received with an open mind and treated with dignity by the doctors they speak to and the camera crew that films them.

The Public Health Film Goes to War

By Michael Sappol, PhD

Public health and war have long been close companions. In the first terrible round of “modern wars”—the American Civil War, the Franco-Prussian War and World War I—military officials and civilian leaders called on health professionals and volunteers to help mobilize and protect military forces and civilian populations. Health experts in turn viewed these conflicts as a sort of laboratory to test and implement their theories, and an opportunity to use fresh knowledge and nascent technologies. They boarded the bandwagon to advance their professional, scientific, political, and ideological goals—and film was a medium with which to do so.

The Films of Virologist Telford Work

By Dwight Swanson

The National Library of Medicine is home to 83 films created by virologist Telford H. Work documenting his life’s work and travels. The films supplement Work’s manuscript collection, which covers his education, career, hobbies, and achievements. Captured between 1942 and 1988, the films were primarily shot on 16mm film, with video copies made later.

Challenge: Science Against Cancer or How to Make a Movie in the Mid-Twentieth Century

By David Cantor, PhD Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social (IDES), Buenos Aires

In 1949 the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Canadian Department of National Health and Welfare (DNHW) commissioned a cancer educational film, eventually called Challenge: Science Against Cancer . It was to be one of the first of a new form of film. The urgent task was to induce young scientists to think of cancer research and biomedicine as careers, and Challenge was to be a key part of the response.

Shared Suffering Onscreen: Animal Experiments and Emotional Investment in the Films of O. H. Mowrer

By Benjamín Schultz-Figueroa, PhD, Assistant Professor in Film Studies, Seattle University

The history of animal testing and the history of the life sciences go hand in hand. Donna Haraway describes the emotional and ethical complexities with this work as the “shared suffering” of the lab. This argument is premised on the recognition of animal agency in the lab, a space where animals, apparatuses, and scientists are all responding and responsible to each other, though in very different ways.

Air Pollution Is a Human Problem: Mary Catterall’s Campaign for Clean Air in Leeds, England

By Angela Saward, BA, MTA, Wellcome Collection

Dr. Mary Catterall (1922-2015), doctor and sculptor, script and medical adviser to the film, It Takes Your Breath Away , became concerned with lung health when she was appointed Senior Registrar in Respiratory Medicine at Leeds General Infirmary, England in 1960. The film won a Silver Medal at the British Medical Association annual film competition in 1964.

Darkening Day: Air Pollution Films and Environmental Awareness, 1960–1972

By Jennifer Lynn Peterson, PhD

The 1960s represent a turning point in popular awareness about environmental problems. The modern environmental movement that emerged in the mid-1960s and early ‘70s focused on a new set of concerns such as air pollution, water pollution, and pesticides. More federal environmental bills were signed in the 1960s and early 1970s than at any other period in U.S. history.

Screening the Nurse: Film, Fear, and Narrative from the 1940s to the 1970s

By David Cantor, PhD

In the early twentieth century, American nursing leaders came to see the motion picture as a quintessentially modern instrument of education, training, and recruitment. In their view, movies were a powerful tool to transform public opinion, to instruct new recruits in the mysteries of nursing practice, and to keep the qualified nurse abreast of new developments in the field.

VD at the Movies: Public Health Service World War II Venereal Disease Films

By John Parascandola, PhD

The United States Public Health Service (PHS) released several education films in the 1930s and 1940s as part of a broader campaign against venereal-disease (VD). The agency had been operating a VD program since World War I, when concern over the number of Army recruits infected led Congress to enact a law that created a Venereal Disease Division in the PHS.

A Bit of Hollywood in the Operating Room

By Caitjan Gainty, PhD

Dr. Joseph DeLee’s obstetrical training films were made to instruct those less experienced and demonstrate to the medical profession that obstetricians were every bit the consummate professionals.

12 Films To Watch During Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this disease continues to be a serious issue in the United States. According to the American Breast Cancer Association, 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. This past year there were almost 300,000 new cases of breast cancer and it is also the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. This whole month asks us to raise more awareness and to help raise funds for more research on this fatal disease.

12 Breast Cancer Awareness Films To Watch This Month

There are various ways to educate yourself and become more aware of the impact of breast cancer, such as reading, doing online research, or even conversing with friends and family. However, if you enjoy watching movies and documentaries to receive new information, below are 12 recommended documentaries and movies to check out during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Image: Netflix

TIG is a documentary about breast cancer and the real-life events of Tig Notaro’s diagnosis.  It follows the trials and struggles of Notaro’s life of breast cancer, while trying to get pregnant with her fiance, Stephanie Alynne. The film captures major life events boldly and transparently, which gives you a new understanding of what it is like being a woman, comedian, pregnant, and living with breast cancer all at the same time. 

Where to Watch: Netflix or Hulu

RX Early Detection: A Cancer Journey With Sandra Lee (2018)

Image: HBO Max

RX Early Detection: A Cancer Journey with Sandra Lee is a 40-minute, Emmy-award-winning film sharing the breast cancer diagnosis of famous chef, Sandra Lee. After scheduling her annual mammogram, her doctor later shared her detection of breast cancer. The film displays her courageous story of treatment and her experience with the cancer diagnosis affecting thousands of women every year.  

Where to Watch: HBO Max

Miss You Already (2015)

Image: Amazon

Miss You Already is another can’t-miss movie to watch during Breast Cancer Awareness month. It tells the story of two friends, Milly and Jessica, played by Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore respectively, as one of them is diagnosed with breast cancer. They are childhood friends that have gone through practically everything together, including trying to beat breast cancer. In the movie, Milly must get a double mastectomy to prevent cancer from spreading. One can only imagine this procedure being a very emotional and enduring procedure for a woman. In addition to the physical and emotional struggles shown in the movie, Milly and Jessica display the strength and value of their " best-friendship " in very trying times.  Miss You Already is a drama that shows the not-so-easy parts of friendship, the realistic and painful thoughts when fighting breast cancer, but also what you do for the people you love. 

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV

Sign up: 30 Day Free Trial Amazon Prime Video

Decoding annie parker (2013).

Image: IMDB

Decoding Annie Parker is a great mix of drama, science, sickness, love, and comedy. Depicting mostly true events, the movie shares the life of a breast cancer patient, played by actress, Samantha Morton, and a research scientist, played by award-winning Helen Hunt, with their process to discover an “almost” cure to cancer. The movie can have your emotions in for a ride, so this is a movie you want to watch at home, while snuggled up with a nice glass of red wine. The film also has an all-star cast, including Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad and Rashida Jones from Parks & Recreation . 

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

Ma Ma (2015)

Ma Ma is a Spanish film, released in 2015, starring and produced by Penelope Cruz, which made its debut at the famous Cannes Film Festival. Cruz is also the protagonist, Magda, who is diagnosed with breast cancer. The film highlights her struggle with the disease, including being an unemployed school teacher in Spain, being in the middle of a love triangle, and raising a 10-year-old son. It is described as an “intimate and emotionally intense drama” worth taking the time to watch. The movie gives a unique cinematographic perspective of a breast cancer battle and, although she is dying, her day-to-day routine eventually becomes more full of life.  Ma Ma was also nominated for multiple awards, including Best Actress and Best Original Soundtrack . 

Where to Watch: FlixLatino, available on Amazon Prime Video

Five (2011)

Five is a mini-series of five different breast cancer stories, directed by Demi Moore and Jennifer Aniston, with a notable cast. Throughout the anthology, you’ll see Rosaria Dawson, Tracey Ellis Ross, Ginnifer Goodwin, and many more. As a set of five short films, Five is something that you can spread throughout October. In regards to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it helps the viewer to understand the dynamics and complexities of living with this life-threatening disease. One might say it is more lighthearted to watch in comparison to the others on this list, but when learning about something new, it’s always important to see from various perspectives. Five also received over 25 Emmy nominations including, Outstanding Drama and Outstanding Casting for a Mini-series . 

Where to Watch: Available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video

Life Interrupted (2017)

Life Interrupted is a documentary sharing real breast cancer stories from women of various ages and backgrounds. It is intimate look into how each woman goes through this life-altering process. The film includes the stories of women as young as 27 to 68-year old women with various ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. It shines a bright, beautiful light on the strength and grace of women battling a fatal disease. If documentaries are more your cup of tea, Life Interrupted is a surefire recommendation. It came out in theaters in 2017 and, to this day, receives raving reviews for its authentic accounts of raw, breast cancer stories.

Where to Watch : Amazon Prime Video

Mondays At Racine (2012)

Mondays at Racine is a short breast cancer documentary that shares the story of two sisters who have opened up their Long Island hair salon to help the fight against this serious cancer, offering free haircuts, makeup services, manicures, and pedicures to breast cancer patients. Their goal is to help women feel some sense of normalcy and remind them of their beauty and strength. The film highlights the stories of the various women, filmed through the lens of the organic storytelling that only comes when sitting in a salon chair—a little vulnerable, a little sassy, but very authentic.   

Family Stone (2005)

Family Stone is a holiday film released in 2005 with an all-star cast including: Diane Keaton, Dylan McDermott, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rachel McAdams. So, why is it on this list? Without giving too much away, it shows how the mother and kind-hearted matriarch, played by Diane Keaton, decides to handle her breast cancer battle in secret. Keep in mind, she is not the protagonist of the film, but Keaton remains positive, leading, and loving, while her children go through their issues during the holidays. The film displays family dysfunction during Christmas in a comedic, yet heartwarming way. As we get deeper into fall and closer to winter, this is a good movie to consider watching and understand a different thought process when battling breast cancer. 

Where To Watch : Amazon Prime Video

1 A Minute (2010)

“Every 3 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.” These are two statistics from this celebrity-packed documentary sharing various breast cancer journeys. It is directed by Numrata Singh Gujral and includes features from Oliva Newton-John, the Baldwin brothers, Jaclyn Smith, and select celebrities who have survived—or been closely affected by—breast cancer as they share their stories. The film also discusses research and statistics about breast cancers and other cancers that affect women. The documentary is a call to action to understand the impact of cancer as a universal disease.

Where to Watch: Stream for free on TubiTV , Amazon Prime Video (rent or purchase), YouTube, or iTunes 

The Long Goodbye: The Kara Tippetts Story (2019)

The Long Goodbye: The Kara Tippett’s Story is another highly rated and reviewed documentary. Kara Tippett shares the complete story of her breast cancer journey where she finds the light in dying and suffering. The documentary shares a more spiritual outlook and what gave her peace, while showing the ins and outs of her daily life with stage-four cancer, how her husband and children experienced it with her, and how she found grace while living through this hardship. Reviews share that, “it is a heart-wrenching documentary that must be watched.”

Where to Watch: Stream free on YouTube , available for purchase on Amazon

Cristina (2016)

Image: Cristina

Cristina is a short documentary, released in 2016, following the breast cancer journey of 37-year old Cristina. It is an intimate breast cancer story, giving you an in-depth view of how cancer impacted Cristina's life from her point of view, as well as how it impacted the ones close to her. It begins with her original diagnosis, her chemotherapy treatment, and how she tries to continue living her life to the fullest while fighting for her life. Her fight to be positive and her passion for everyday life throughout her breast cancer journey is humbling to see during the short film.  

Where to Watch: Kanopy  

Research and Donate For Breast Cancer Awareness

If you’d like to do more research on breast cancer and donate, please check out the following links for more information.

Breastcancer.org

Breascancer.org helps readers find more information about symptoms, treatment, and day-to-day matters. Donating to Breastcancer.org funds more research and spreading awareness. 

Susan G Komen Foundation

The Susan G Komen Foundation was founded in 1982 and is the largest breast cancer organization in the United States. Donating to the Susan G Komen Foundation assists research, education, screening, treatment, and helps create equal access to health care for those battling breast cancer. 

National Breast Cancer Foundation  

Founded in 1991, the National Breast Cancer Foundation is a leading provider of breast cancer information and assisting patients with early detection. Donating to the National Breast Cancer Foundation helps fund early detection programs, free mammograms, and financial aid for those in need.

Lover of French fries, travel, fashion, and the comfiest workout clothes.  She is from the beautiful, San Francisco Bay Area and currently resides in Barcelona, Spain.  In 2018, she followed her passion for writing and published for the first time in a tourism magazine called Barcelona Connect.  She continues to contribute to various online and print publications.  In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, teaching an occasional spin class, and a glass of red wine with a good book.

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The Best Movies About Cancer

This list features the best movies about cancer, no matter if they are sad or funny, and goes far beyond the top ten Hollywood cancer movies. Many of the films take an in-depth approach to the life of a person who struggles with a cancer diagnosis and the aftermath of the illness, providing an intimate look at how the prospect of death affects friends and family members. Whether you are facing a similar diagnosis, know someone who has been diagnosed or are just interested in a romance story about two people battling the odds together, there is sure to be a movie about cancer on this list that will be what you're looking for.

Some of the movies on this list are completely fictional stories where a guy or girl with cancer, while others take a biographical approach to people who have fought against the odds in their battle with cancer.

This list is made up of the best movies about cancer, including: The Family Stone, A Walk to Remember, Decoding Annie Parker, Terms of Endearment, and Life as a House .

Vote for the movie about cancer patients that you think is the best whether or not it's about cancer patients that fall in love. Then be sure to check back for new cancer movies as they are added back to the list.

Dying Young

A deeply emotional and heart-rending story of a young woman hired as a caregiver for a wealthy young man battling terminal cancer. As they form an unexpected bond over their shared struggle, the film explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the complex emotions that arise in the face of mortality. This touching narrative delivers a poignant depiction of the resilience of the human spirit and the incredible power of love to heal and transform even in the most challenging circumstances.

An unconventional and deeply affecting coming-of-age story that follows a terminally ill teenager as she falls in love for the first time, breaking free from the confines of her impending fate. Amidst the backdrop of illness, the film captures the essence of youth, rebellion, and love, providing a unique exploration of the complexity of human relationships and the fleeting nature of life. This captivating narrative offers a fresh and poignant perspective on the power of living in the moment and finding beauty in the most unexpected of places.

• # 19 of 29 on Powerful Movies About Sick & Dying Children
• # 211 of 230 on The 200+ Best Movies Directed By Women
• # 27 of 145 on The Best Foreign Romance Movies, Ranked

Other People

A deeply personal and unflinchingly honest portrayal of a struggling comedy writer who returns to his family home to care for his terminally ill mother. Through their shared experience, they navigate complex emotions, fractured relationships, and profound life lessons, ultimately finding comfort in the unbreakable bond between mother and child. This heartrending film delicately balances humor and raw emotion, providing an authentic exploration of love, loss, and the indelible impact of family.

• # 52 of 76 on The Best Serious Movies Starring Comedians
• # 26 of 33 on The Best Indie Movies Streaming on Netflix
• # 5 of 40 on The Best LGBTQ+ Movies On Netflix

An inspiring and candid documentary that follows the life and career of comedian Tig Notaro as she navigates the challenges of her own cancer diagnosis while also grappling with the sudden death of her mother. Through a combination of humor, vulnerability, and resilience, this film highlights the incredible power of laughter and its ability to heal even in the face of unimaginable adversity. This uplifting and deeply personal account serves as a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of humor to overcome life's most difficult obstacles.

Decoding Annie Parker

An inspiring and thought-provoking drama based on the true story of two remarkable women who, despite living worlds apart, share a common bond through their determination to discover the genetic link to breast cancer. As they independently pursue their groundbreaking research, their perseverance and passion for finding answers in the face of tremendous adversity offer a unique and compelling narrative. This compelling film sheds light on the importance of scientific discovery, the power of resilience, and the profound impact individuals can have on the lives of countless others.

A poignant and bittersweet tale of a man diagnosed with terminal cancer who embarks on a final journey with his three best friends to his favorite place on earth. As they traverse the rugged Welsh coastline together, the group confronts their own fears, regrets, and the strength of their friendship. This beautifully crafted film serves as a powerful meditation on life, death, and the unshakable bonds that bring us together in our darkest moments.

A gripping and visually stunning sci-fi tale set in a dystopian future where the privileged reside on a luxurious space station while the earth's inhabitants suffer from rampant disease, including cancer. Amidst the backdrop of societal and technological divides, the film explores themes of inequality, the value of human life, and the lengths one will go for love and survival. This action-packed, thought-provoking film challenges our notions of morality and the unconquerable power of hope.

• # 59 of 162 on The 150+ Best Futuristic Dystopian Movies
• # 51 of 91 on The 95+ Greatest Dystopian Action Movies
• # 130 of 173 on The Best Science Fiction Action Movies

A deeply moving and tender portrayal of a young couple who forge an otherworldly connection as they grapple with the knowledge that one of them has a terminal illness. As their love blossoms under the weight of their shared struggles, the film delves into the mysteries of existence, the nature of love, and the transcendent power of human connection. This visually stunning and enchanting narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the beauty that can be found even in life's most tragic moments.

• # 24 of 29 on Powerful Movies About Sick & Dying Children
• # 342 of 419 on The 400+ Best Movies Produced By Columbia Pictures
• # 11 of 22 on The Best Mia Wasikowska Movies

An inspiring and captivating tale of a young man diagnosed with terminal cancer who embarks on a cross-country motorcycle journey to find meaning in his final days. Along the way, he encounters remarkable landscapes, fascinating characters, and life-changing experiences that challenge his understanding of life, love, and the inevitability of death. This visually stunning and profoundly moving film offers a unique exploration of the transformative power of adventure and the incredible beauty that can be discovered when we embrace the unknown.

Matching Jack

A heart-wrenching yet uplifting tale centered on a mother's unwavering determination to save her young son diagnosed with leukemia. As she embarks on a quest to find a compatible bone marrow donor, she uncovers shocking secrets that test her resilience, faith, and capacity for forgiveness. This powerful film masterfully showcases the unbreakable bond between parent and child, the importance of hope, and the will to persevere in the face of adversity.

An inspiring and life-affirming Indian classic that tells the tale of a terminally ill man who embraces life with optimism and vigor, determined to bring joy and laughter to those he encounters on his journey. Through his unwavering spirit and zest for life, he teaches valuable lessons about the power of positivity and the beauty of living each day to the fullest. This celebrated film is a timeless testament to the indomitable human spirit and the impact one person's outlook can have on the lives of others.

A powerful and thought-provoking drama centered on a brilliant university professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, who must confront her mortality and reassess her life's priorities. Through her battle with the disease, she gains newfound insight into the value of compassion, vulnerability, and the importance of human connection. This poignant and emotionally charged film provides a unique exploration of life's most profound questions and the delicate balance between intellect and empathy.

Funny People

A witty and heartfelt dramedy that delves into the world of stand-up comedy and the lives of its performers as they navigate the complexities of life, love, and illness. When a successful comedian is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he reevaluates his priorities and embarks on a journey of self-discovery, forging new friendships and rekindling old bonds along the way. This poignant film masterfully balances humor and sentiment, providing a refreshing take on the transformative power of laughter in the face of adversity.

• # 4 of 16 on Movies That Took A Hard Turn And Left Audiences Completely Baffled
• # 18 of 28 on The Best Judd Apatow Movies
• # 14 of 15 on 15 Movies Where Actors Poked Fun At Their On-Screen Persona

Living Proof

An inspiring and informative documentary that takes an in-depth look at the groundbreaking research of Dr. Dennis Slamon, the scientist who helped develop the lifesaving breast cancer drug, Herceptin. This compelling film delves into the behind-the-scenes efforts of one man's dedication, perseverance, and unwavering commitment to finding a cure for one of the world's most devastating diseases. Through intimate interviews and unprecedented access, this powerful documentary sheds light on the impact of scientific breakthroughs on countless lives and the importance of hope in the battle against cancer.

18 Presents

An emotionally stirring Italian drama that tells the story of a young mother diagnosed with terminal cancer who decides to leave behind 18 birthday presents for her unborn daughter, one for each year until she turns eighteen. As the girl grows up and receives her mother's thoughtful gifts, she discovers the profound and transformative power of love that transcends time and space. This heartwarming film expertly captures the unbreakable bond between parent and child, and the lasting impact of a mother's love.

• # 60 of 72 on The 70+ Best Mother-Daughter Movies Ever Made
• # 55 of 64 on The 60+ Best Movies About Dying
• # 51 of 58 on The Best Movies About Parenting

Crazy Sexy Cancer

A candid, uplifting, and empowering documentary that follows the life of a young woman diagnosed with a rare and incurable cancer, who refuses to let her diagnosis define her existence. Through her unconventional approach to treatment, her exploration of alternative therapies, and her unshakable determination, she showcases the power of resilience and the importance of living life on one's own terms. This inspiring film offers a unique and refreshing perspective on the battle against cancer and the extraordinary spirit of those who face it head-on.

A provocative and thought-provoking Italian drama that delves into the life of a successful porn actress who, after being diagnosed with cancer, decides to continue working in the industry while documenting her battle with the disease. This daring film explores themes of sexuality, societal norms, and the complexities of human emotion in the face of adversity. A bold and challenging narrative, this movie invites viewers to reassess their preconceptions about love, life, and the pursuit of happiness.

Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy

A compelling and deeply emotional drama based on the true story of a young and ambitious television producer who faces a life-altering breast cancer diagnosis. With courage, humor, and unshakable determination, she confronts her fears, reevaluates her priorities, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery, finding a newfound appreciation for life and love. This inspiring film explores the complexities of confronting one's own mortality and the power of resilience and self-expression in the face of adversity.

Ordinary Love

An incredibly moving and tender portrayal of a long-married couple who are put to the ultimate test when the wife is diagnosed with breast cancer. As they navigate the challenging journey of treatment and its emotional repercussions, the film explores the depths of their love, commitment, and resilience in the face of uncertainty. This beautifully crafted film serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring power of love and the strength found in the bonds that bind us.

An awe-inspiring and uplifting documentary that follows the incredible journey of a widowed father who embarks on a 75-day run across America in honor of his deceased wife and in an effort to raise awareness about breast cancer. Through his perseverance and unwavering spirit, he showcases the power of resilience, determination, and the impact one person can have in the face of insurmountable odds. This inspiring film serves as a testament to the extraordinary feats made possible by the human spirit and the tireless pursuit of a worthy cause.

The Hot Flashes

An entertaining and inspiring story centered on a group of middle-aged women who form an unlikely basketball team in order to raise funds for a local breast cancer charity. As they overcome their personal challenges and rediscover their passions, the film offers a refreshing take on female empowerment, friendship, and the importance of community support. This feel-good movie provides the perfect balance of humor and heart, showcasing the incredible power of unity and determination in the fight against cancer.

South of Heaven

A mesmerizing exploration of the human spirit, South of Heaven delves into the raw reality of cancer and its impact on both the afflicted and their loved ones. With an outstanding performance by the ever-evolving actor, Jason Sudeikis, as a parolee determined to spend his last days with his terminally ill wife, this film grips your heart with relentless ferocity. Through its poignant portrayal of disease and devotion, it weaves a tale that lingers in the recesses of your mind, firmly establishing itself as one of the most unforgettable cancer films of our time.

A thrilling and thought-provoking sci-fi film centered on a wealthy, dying man who undergoes a radical medical procedure to transfer his consciousness into a healthy body. As he navigates this newfound life, he uncovers dark secrets about the origins of his new body and faces the consequences of his actions. This engaging film explores themes of mortality, ethics, and the complexities of human nature, providing a mesmerizing take on the age-old question of what it truly means to be alive.

• # 113 of 114 on The 100+ Best New & Recent Drama Films, Ranked
• # 52 of 54 on The Best Foreign Films Streaming on Netflix
• # 57 of 72 on The Best Drama Films Streaming on Netflix
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Two Great Women, Two Great Movies

by Brian Reid  —  Aug 22, 2018

Editors note: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sharon Jones are two extraordinary women who battled pancreatic cancer and reached remarkable heights in their professions. The following popular and critically acclaimed documentary films chronicle their journeys encompassing their careers and personal lives. We are republishing this article in honor of the 2019 Academy Award nomination of “RBG” for Best Documentary Feature for the Oscars ceremony airing on Sunday, Feb. 24.

RBG features the extraordinary life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

As beautiful views of our nation’s capital roll across the screen, you begin to hear an array of speakers ranting words such as, “She’s a witch. Monster. Evil-doer. A zombie.” And then a soft voice speaks, “I ask no favors for my sex. I surrender not our claim to equality. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”

The quiet voice quoting abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sarah Grimke belongs to pancreatic cancer survivor and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the hit documentary film about her life and career, RBG .

Well-known feminist Gloria Steinem describes Ginsburg in the movie as the closest thing she knows to a superhero. And the highly acclaimed movie shows why.

Cancer has played a strong role throughout Ginsburg’s life. She grew up very close to her mother who lived with cancer during Ginsburg’s high school years, dying from the disease the night before she graduated.

After graduating from Cornell University, she married Martin Ginsburg. They both went to Harvard Law School together, where she was one of nine women in a class of 500 men.

In her second year of law school, her husband got a rare form of testicular cancer. His treatment involved no chemotherapy but a massive amount of radiation. During that period, Ginsburg took care of him and their 3-year-old daughter, while studying law at Harvard.

This experience built the strength of character that would lead her to become the general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the 1970s. Ginsburg explained in the film that the first case she argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 was essentially to teach the all-male court that gender-based discrimination really existed in the country.

Out of the six cases she argued before the nation’s highest court, Ginsburg won five. The film movingly shows how through each of the cases, she advanced the legal status for women today in the U.S.

Her trailblazing work for gender equality over the years led to her nomination by President Bill Clinton in 1993 as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

In 1999, Ginsburg was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. After her surgery, her treatment included chemo, radiation and working with a personal trainer.

A decade later, during a regular check-up at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a lesion was discovered in her abdomen. Pancreatic cancer. She had no symptoms of the disease, but fortunately it was discovered in the early stages.

A CAT scan revealed a small 1 cm tumor in the middle of her pancreas. Ginsburg had surgery to remove the body and tail of the pancreas along with her spleen. Then a year later, her husband for 56 years died of complications from metastatic cancer in 2010.

After her bout of pancreatic cancer, Ginsburg said the experience gave her “an enhanced appreciation for the joys of being alive.”

The movie wonderfully portrays how joyful Ginsburg’s life is today at the age of 85. Whether it’s lifting weights and doing push-ups in the gym or giving talks in packed venues nationwide, she beams with a vibrancy that is heartwarming and inspiring.

Ginsburg’s pioneering career and evolution as a pop-culture icon has turned her into a role model for a new generation of feminists. They have tagged her “Notorious RBG,” echoing the late hip-hop innovator Notorious B.I.G.

Like the preamble of the U.S. Constitution proclaims, Ginsburg has strived for “a more perfect union” throughout her life, which RBG conveys with compassion and intelligence.

RBG Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West Available on digital HD streaming services, BLU-RAY™ and DVD

Miss Sharon Jones!

Miss Sharon Jones! reveals the gripping story of the celebrated soul singer

Sharon Jones knew how to fight. The bold soul singer of the R&B funk band The Dap-Kings fought a music industry that told her she was “too black, too fat, too short and too old” to succeed. When pancreatic cancer appeared in her life, the powerful film Miss Sharon Jones! candidly shows how this force of nature would not surrender quietly.

While working on her fifth studio album in 2013, “Give the People What They Want,” her manager, Alex Kadvan, and band members noticed how her eyes began to look yellow and she was losing a lot of weight.

In August, when she met with her oncologist, Dr. James Leonardo, he said a test would help them determine how big the cancer was. She had not even been told yet that it was considered to be cancer.

Jones was diagnosed with stage II pancreatic cancer. But the petite powerhouse had defied the odds in her career, so she intended to do the same with pancreatic cancer.

A Whipple procedure had been performed that removed her gallbladder, the head of her pancreas and 18 inches of her small intestine. Now she was to begin six to seven months of chemotherapy.

Jones and many of her fans loved when she would spin her head to the music while performing, whipping her braids through the air.

Shortly after her pancreatic cancer diagnosis, the movie shows her sitting in a hair salon holding the braids being cut from her head. As her scalp gets shaved with clippers, her jaundiced eyes fill with tears as she realizes how the disease is not only putting a hold on her new record but also on her life.

Close friend and nutritionist Megan Holken offered her home to Jones, while she went through treatment. Jones called her bedroom in Holken’s house her healing room.

During those months of recovery, her energy would only allow Jones to watch TV shows from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and occasionally paint. This lack of doing felt strange for Jones who had worked so hard for decades before her commercial success as a singer.

Jones worked as a sanitation officer and as a Rikers Island corrections officer. She was earning a living as a Wells Fargo security guard when she met the Dap-Kings, who would become like family for her.

Because her “band” family and her family in Georgia relied on her working, not touring and performing while she was on treatment made it even harder for all concerned. The film weaves through the tough moments of Jones going through treatment and trying to keep the band going.

Only a woman who had dealt with the hard knocks of decades could handle this kind of pressure and responsibility. You witness how the faith she had in her talent propelled her to see the release of her first full-length album with the Dap-Kings in 2002 at age 46.

This fortitude explains why the film shows Jones short of breath just walking up the stairs to meet with her band for the first time since she started chemo. As they began to rehearse songs for the new album, she tried to convey to them how weak she felt.

Throughout the film, Jones openly shares her vulnerability about the impact of the disease on her personally and professionally. She allowed a photo to be shown of her Whipple surgery scar. While receiving a chemo treatment in the clinic, a few fellow patients recognized her. They told her they were pulling for her to keep making music, and she responded, “We’re pulling for each other.”

After waking up mornings to see that her eyebrows and eyelashes had fallen out, her manager and band wanted her to have a reason to get better. Their new record release was scheduled for February 2014 followed by a full tour.

But it was November, her treatments were coming to an end, and it was time to start promoting the new album. The inspiration that got Jones going was feeling strong enough to work, which meant appearing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

After her final chemo treatment in January 2014, her upper endoscopy scan came out clean, and she was cleared to hit the road. But her caregiver Holken reminded Jones, “You have to respect this cancer, even in remission.”

Because Jones hadn’t reviewed much of the new music while she was healing, she was fearful about forgetting the lyrics and not having the energy to perform. But she felt that all her hard work was finally paying off, and she needed to honor what her mother told her – to use her gift.

During the opening show of the 2014 tour in New York City, she began singing the first song and forgot the lyrics. As the band kept playing, her bassist gave her a few words of the verse and then she took over.

With each performance in 2014, she got stronger and soon returned to that singing, dancing fury of soul music that people adored. And the music industry took notice as well when “Give the People What They Want” was nominated for a Grammy Award, the first for Jones and the Dap-Kings.

Jones lived by the biblical passage, “May the works I’ve done speak for me.” She never took vocal or musical lessons but simply said, “You just listen, watch and learn.”

During the premiere of the documentary in September 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival, Jones announced that the cancer had returned. She fought the disease until she passed on November 18, 2016, at age 60.

Miss Sharon Jones! Directed by Barbara Kopple Available on digital HD streaming services, BLU-RAY™ and DVD

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Hollywood’s Portrayal of Cancer in Movies Fuels Misconceptions, New Study Finds

January 17, 2024

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (January 17, 2024) – Hollywood films may provide an unrealistic view of cancer to individuals with cancer and their families, and can create misunderstandings about curability, treatment options, types of care available and cost, according to a study published today in JCO Oncology Practice . The study was led by David J. Benjamin, M.D. , a medical oncologist at Hoag in Newport Beach, California.

“We found that the portrayals of cancer treatment, prognosis and cost of care in movies significantly diverge from reality and therefore may have an impact on how patients approach cancer care,” said Dr. Benjamin. “We hope to make individuals newly diagnosed with cancer, treating physicians and the general public be aware that movies do not accurately reflect the state of modern cancer care or the advances that physicians, including here at Hoag, are making every day in cancer management.”

Researchers reviewed more than 100 films released between 2010-2020 and found several key findings about films’ lasting impact on public perception of cancer treatment, prevention and care options.

Key findings from the study include:

With great power comes great responsibility . Hollywood shapes public opinion about everything from LGBTQIA+ rights (“Philadelphia”) to racial disparity (“To Kill a Mockingbird”). The study found that the portrayal of type of cancer does not accurately reflect the most common cancers that are diagnosed. For example, movie makers often cast brain cancer in a lead role, when in fact, it is not even in the top 10 cancers diagnosed in the U.S. Meanwhile, lung cancer, which is the second-most diagnosed cancer in the U.S., hardly makes a cameo.

Inaccuracies about survivorship . If a character develops cancer in the first act of a film, they are generally dead by the time the credits roll. Meanwhile, survivorship and thrivorship is on the rise for nearly every cancer type. In fact, the cancer mortality rate has decreased by 27% between 1999 and 2019, according to the CDC. And the number of cancer survivors is projected to increase by 24.4% by 2032. While the authors acknowledge that death may be integral to the story line, they say it doesn’t serve anyone’s interest to depict cancers as “untreatable” when they actually can be overcome.

Portrayal of Treatment Options. Cancer care today often includes new systemic treatments, including immunotherapy and targeted therapy. In Hollywood, chemotherapy is usually shown. As a result, patients are unaware of advanced treatment options that offer benefits including less side effects and better outcomes.

Palliative Care and Hospice – Common Treatment, Uncommon in Movies.

Rarely, if ever, are palliative care options depicted in films. For this reason, oncologists “need to be aware that individuals with cancer as well as caregivers may possibly lack knowledge surrounding these services or may carry potential stigma when discussing the utilization of either service in an individual’s care,” the story noted. The lack of awareness of palliative care and hospice represents a missed opportunity to enhance public perception of these services’ immense benefits.

Financial Toxicity. Only four of the 100 movies addressed financial costs, with one focusing on the financial stresses associated with cancer treatment. There is a lack of knowledge surrounding financial toxicity among individuals. Hoag, for example offers patients a financial navigator to help educate patients and mitigate the consequences related to cancer costs.

Of course, Hollywood is in the business of entertainment, not education. Omissions, misrepresentations, and even straight-out fabrications are an expected part of fiction. For this reason, the authors have a simple suggestion: Patients and oncologists must be cognizant that movie depictions of cancer may not accurately reflect the state of cancer care.

“Oncologists should be aware of how cancer is depicted in movies to anticipate and address potential discrepancies between patients’ potential views and the reality of cancer care,” the authors wrote.

The study’s authors note that films are meant for entertainment, not oncological education. But they hope that by raising awareness of the disparity between reality and fiction, they can influence the influencers, writing:

“Although it must be acknowledged that filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors may be influenced by personal experiences with cancer when portraying cancer on-screen or may portray aspects of cancer care for dramatic purposes, greater patient and oncologist involvement in film storylines may make movies more realistic and improve public perception of cancer management.”

Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery system in Orange County, California. Delivering world-class, comprehensive, personalized care, Hoag consists of 1,800 top physicians, 15 urgent care facilities, 10 health & wellness centers, and two award-winning hospitals. Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes seven institutes providing specialized services in the following areas:  cancer ,  digestive health ,  heart and vascular ,  neurosciences , spine , women’s health , and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate,  Hoag Orthopedic Institute ,  which consists of an orthopedic hospital and four ambulatory surgical centers. Hoag is the highest ranked hospital in Orange County by  U.S. News & World Report  and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California, as well as a designated Magnet ®  hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). For more information, visit  hoag.org .

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