A content analysis of Japanese cancer documentaries across 25 years

Figures & data

Table 1. Titles and details of selected television documentary programmes about patients with cancer

Broadcast date and ID	Time	Title	(Type of cancer) Details described in the database
12/12/1991 A	18:30–19:00 (30 min)	Tomorrow’s welfare “Until the end of my life”	(Rectum) The last few days for end-of-life stage patients with cancer
09/06/1996 B	11:00–11:44 (44 min)	Japan pointillism: You will recover from cancer	(Breast, Cervical) Report about a survivor’s club providing spiritual support for cancer survivors
14/11/1996 C	19:20–19:50 (30 min)	Tomorrow we live together: Gift from Akihito	(Leukaemia) Akihito Wada died of leukaemia when he was 39 years old. His story is told by his wife.
23/09/2006 D	22:00–23:29 (89 min)	ETV special “Facing cancer: Frontline of terminal care”	(Lung) Interview with relapsed and patients with advanced cancer and their family members in a hospital
03/11/2006 E	14:00–14:49 (49 min)	Relay for Life: 400 m of living hope	(Colon, Breast) Relay for Life is an event for cancer survivors in Japan. Interviews were conducted with its participants and their family members.
04/03/2007 F	16:30–17:58 (88 min)	Kazuko Yanagihara: Living with cancer	(Ovarian) A woman talks with her doctor as a patient with terminal cancer—What medicine gives hope to patients?
18/10/2007 G	23:00–23:28 (28 min)	Document the scene in Japan “Relay for Life”	(Breast) Report from the Relay for Life walking events for patients with cancer
01/12/2008 H	22:00–22:49 (49 min)	NHK special: Wandering cancer patient	(Oesophageal) Patients with terminal cancer want to be discharged from the hospital, but they cannot find a doctor to consult in the local area
07/12/2008 I	02:05–03:23 (78 min)	Series “Fall: Connected heart” Relay for Life	(Colon, Breast, Lymphoma) Report on the Relay for Life, a walking event for cancer survivors
28/07/2009 J	19:30–19:56 (26 min)	Today’s close-up “Living with cancer”	(Leukaemia, Stomach, Lymphoma) Report on patients with cancer who have a fear of losing their jobs
12/10/2009 K	18:10–18:44 (34 min)	Holiday Nippon “Let’s start a talk about life”	(Breast) The “Uncompleted Picture Book” is a picture book about cancer for mothers and children, who write in the book through their conversation
09/10/2010 L	11:30–11:53 (23 min)	Spotted! Japanese archipelago “To die at home”	(Breast) Choice of patients with cancer and their family members about where to die
31/01/2011 M	19:32–19:58 (28 min)	Today’s close-up “Children’s cancer: Newly found risks”	(Children’s cancer) N/A
25/02/2013 N	19:30–19:56 (26 min)	Today’s close-up “I am a cancer patient. I would love to have children”	(Breast) N/A
01/02/2014 O	11:30–11:53 (23 min)	Spotted! Japanese archipelago “A nurse living with cancer and patients with cancer”	(Bile duct, Pulmonary adenocarcinoma) In a hospice clinic in Yamanashi Prefecture, a nurse caring for patients also has cancer
06/10/2014 P	19:30–19:56 (26 min)	Today’s close-up “Frontline of cancer rehabilitation: Challenge to resocialization”	(Oesophageal) N/A

Bold typeface indicates the programmes selected as representative programmes.

Table 2. Patients’ demographic characteristics

	Patients with cancer (Number of programmes = 16) Patients with cancer analysed (N = 24)
Age (years)
Mean ± standard deviation	47 ± 17
Range	23–85
Age group (years)
< 23	0
23–39	7
40–64	6
65–75	3
Unknown	8
Gender Female	17
Male	7
Place	Eastern Japan: 6 Western Japan: 7 Unknown: 11
Employment status	None: 8 Unknown: 5 Full-time job: 7 Part-time job: 4
Occupation	Director: 2 Professional/technical job: 3 Administrator: 2 Other job: 2 None: 6 Unknown: 9
Marital status	Married: 10 Single: 2 Widowed: 1 Separated: 1 Unknown: 10
Children	0 children: 2 1 child: 4 2 children: 3 3 children: 1 Unknown: 14
Living with someone	No: 6 Yes: 10 Unknown: 8
Person(s) the patient is living with	Spouse: 10 Children: 4

Table 3. Difficulties among patients with cancer as portrayed in television documentary programmes

Problem	Patients with cancer (n = 24)
Topics addressed in television documentaries	n
Patient’s disease and care (e.g., Symptoms and care itself are the main difficulties for the patient)	17
Finding a reason for living (e.g., After being ill, they cannot find a reason for living)	11
Family (e.g., Leaving family members is difficult)	9
Vocation (e.g., Continuing to work in the same job is difficult)	9
Human relationships (e.g., They cannot see friends freely anymore)	6
Disease and care of a family member (e.g., If they are not well, they are not sure who can will take care for of their family members)	5
Income, debt and other money matters (e.g., They have no money or insufficient lack of money for treatment)	3

Table 4. Number of television programmes covering cancer-related events in Japan

Event	Number	ID (Indicates each programme shown in Table 1)
1989: Meeting conducted about how to care for terminal patients	2	A, B
1994: 10-year anti-cancer plan released; QOL improvement included in plan
2005: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare establishes counter-cancer promotion headquarters	3	C, D, E
2006: National Cancer Center establishes cancer information centre	13
2007: Basic law for countermeasures against cancer comes into effect		F–P
2012: Second basic plan for promoting countermeasures against cancer enacted

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from NHK, but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study and are therefore not publicly available. However, the data are available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of NHK.