Explaining cancer to people with learning disabilities

There are compelling reasons for reviewing what might be effectively explained about cancer to people with learning disabilities. Much of the initiative to make cancer care more accessible to people with learning disabilities centres on explaining the screening and treatment process. But a case can be made for explaining cancer itself. While the ability to understand cancer, where it comes from for example, will vary among people with learning disabilities, it seems wise to explore what can be understood, and what can help to sustain the person during treatment, as part of informed consent. In this article the author discusses what is involved in explaining cancer to people with learning disabilities within the context of the process of reasoning – that is, learning from experience, concept formation and narrative building. The author also details some practical principles for learning disability nurses which are intended to support them when explaining cancer to service users.