Representation of cancer incidence and mortality in the Spanish press

Abstract

Cancer is the leading cause of death worlwide and the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Spain. In emergencies and health crises, the media provide information that can condition public perception and help specialized broadcasters to communicate strategically, to ensure disease prevention and containment. The main objective of this article is to observe whether the Spanish written press, in its selection of news about cancer, reflects a preponderance of those types of cancer with higher incidence and mortality rates. We used content analysis and latent topic assignment (LDA) to study 1,371 cancer news items published between April 2022 and March 2023 in the three conventional newspapers with the highest weekly online reach, El País, El Mundo and La Vanguardia. Some cancers are over-represented in the media, such as leukemia and brain cancer, while other cancers with higher incidence and mortality rates, such as colorectal and prostate cancer, are under-represented. Skin cancer is mentioned in only 4% of the publications and is under-represented, considering that it is also a cancer with epidemiological status. The results are in line with previous Ibero-American studies and confirm the only study on media coverage of skin cancer in Spain. With the exception of breast and lung cancer, there is no general correspondence between the incidence and mortality of the main cancers and their media coverage, which may have implications for the prevention and control of these diseases.