Why is it so difficult to say?
. . . one of the reasons why we eschew the “D” word when talking to patients about their prognosis is to avoid upsetting them with the use of such blunt terms since they are already in distress as it is. Another explanation is that we doctors find it awkward or unpleasant to bring up such bad news, which the author believes is a reflection on the perverted way our society identifies death as a distasteful subject, one that is almost taboo and should be identified with euphemisms.
