Oncomovies: Cancer in cinema from early sound film to 2025.

9023 Background: Cinema has played a relevant role in shaping public representations of cancer, influencing social perceptions of illness, medical care, prognosis, and the patient–physician relationship. Over time, cancer narratives in film have evolved alongside medical knowledge, therapeutic advances, and cultural attitudes toward disease, suffering, and death. Building on previous analyses presented at ESMO (2012) and a systematic review published in 2014, this study provides an updated overview of how cancer has been portrayed in cinema up to 2025. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of feature films in which cancer played a prompt, relevant, or plot-driving role. Films were identified through major movie databases (IMDb, AllMovie, MyMovies) and previous curated filmographies. Each film was independently reviewed and coded using a standardized data extraction framework including year of production, country, patient demographics, cancer type and anatomical classification, stage or phase of disease when specified, diagnostic and therapeutic representations, healthcare professionals’ roles, and narrative outcome. Data were aggregated and analyzed descriptively. Results: A total of 255 films produced between 1939 and 2025 were included. The majority originated from North America and Western Europe, with a progressive increase in geographic diversity after 2000. Solid tumors accounted for approximately 75% of depicted cancers, followed by hematologic malignancies (about 19%). The most frequently represented cancer types were breast cancer, brain tumors, leukemia, and lung cancer, while several high-incidence cancers in real-world epidemiology remained underrepresented. Central nervous system tumors and breast cancer were the most common anatomical classifications. When reported, cancer was often portrayed at an advanced or metastatic stage. Treatments were shown in most films, with chemotherapy being the most frequently depicted modality, followed by surgery and palliative care. Healthcare professionals appeared in the majority of narratives, though with varying degrees of realism. Death remained a common narrative endpoint. Conclusions: This updated analysis confirms persistent narrative patterns in cinematic representations of cancer, including a preference for younger patients, specific tumor types, and dramatic disease trajectories. While recent films show increased attention to diagnostic processes and treatment complexity, discrepancies between cinematic portrayals and epidemiological reality remain substantial. Oncomovies may represent both a valuable cultural resource for medical education and a potential source of misconceptions, underscoring the importance of critical engagement with cancer narratives in film.