Referring to cancer as a 'battle' minimizes the suffering it causes. Calling cancer a 'battle' implies that there will be winners and losers, which is not accurate for patients with metastatic cancer. The battle metaphor can result in bad medical outcomes, such as agreeing to unnecessary treatment. Instead of using the battle metaphor, it is suggested to refer to people with cancer as 'people affected by cancer' or 'people living with and beyond cancer.' Love speaks in silences when there are no words to say at all.