ABSTRACT
Introduction Psycho-oncology can be described as the discipline addressing the role of psychosocial factors in the development and course of cancer as well as the psychosocial consequences of a diagnosis of cancer on a patient’s quality of life. Moreover, psycho-oncology focuses on ways to improve the detection of psychological problems in cancer patients and to alleviate these problems by means of individual or group psychological interventions. Both the patient and significant others, such as a partner and children, are the focus of attention. This chapter describes the type and prevalence of psychosocial problems in cancer patients; several characteristics of the illness, the person, and the social context that make some cancer patients more vulnerable to psychosocial problems than others; and the important role that the psychologist
and the medical specialist may play in optimizing the psychosocial care of cancer patients.
