ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the efforts to organize the response to cancer diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life processes. The literature on the psychological, interpersonal, and physical challenges posed by cancer is voluminous and has grown exponentially since the early 1970s, when Jimmie Holland, MD, pioneered the field of psycho-oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Moorey and Greer outlined the psychological and interpersonal challenges that a diagnosis of cancer creates. Problem-Solving Therapy (PST) adds to the understanding of how people with cancer cope with a diagnosis and treatment of cancer, by referring to the person's problem orientation. Life after diagnosis and treatment of cancer in adulthood: contributions from psychosocial oncology research. Treatment efforts need to be organized around a framework that derives from an understanding of the challenges and potential difficulties associated with every phase of cancer care, from the initial diagnosis to long-term survivorship, to possible end-of-life care.
