Why is marketing cancer/oncology services so difficult?

In each edition of Healthcare Marketing Advisor, we ask our advisory board members to answer a question about hospital and health system marketing. This month, we asked the board: “In our 2007 HealthLeaders Media Marketing Survey, respondents listed the cancer/oncology service line as one of the most important for their hospital to market. Yet another question found them saying it was also among the most difficult service lines to market. Why does marketing cancer/oncology pose such a problem? Are there proven tips/tricks that a hospital marketer should know before planning his or her hospital’s next cancer campaign?”