Psycho-oncology - Hardcover

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10 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195106148 ISBN 13: 9780195106145

Publisher: OUP USA, 1998

This volume describes the many ways in which mental health professionals have contributed to improving the lot of the cancer patient. A large section of the book is devoted to the psychological, social and behavioral factors that contribute to cancer risk and survival. Changing habits and behavior--reducing smoking, increasing certain foods intake, and decreasing sun exposure, for instance--is a significant factor in cancer risk, and becomes the focus of several chapters. Social class and socioeconomic issues are analysed as far as they affect cancer risk and survival. Two chapters explore the brain-endocrine-immune connections and how they contribute to cancer prevention. Other sections describe new psychological issues brought about by recent advances in cancer research. Sections of the book cover the "worried well" population--healthy people who are or who believe themselves to be predisposed to cancer. Chapters discuss tracing these people's family history, genetic testing, appropriate screening behaviors and counseling. A major section of the book deals with psychosocial interventions to improve patients' quality of life using psychological, psychoeducational, and behavioral methods. The book covers the use of psychopharmacological drugs, group therapies, nontraditional therapies (art, meditation, alternative medicine), and religious collaboration in helping ease the ordeal. Authors argue the ethical aspects of cancer care, including the ethics of clinical trials, informed consent, physician-assisted suicide, and palliative care. The specifics of caring for children with cancer, and for patients with special needs, such as the elderly and minorities, are accorded special attention.

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Review:

"There is much to interest palliative care specialists in this comprehensive overview of the contribution that mental health professionals have made to cancer patient care - and increasingly to cancer prevention.... There has been a striking expansion in the evidence available to support the use of a variety of therapeutic interventions and this section included chapters dealing with complementary therapies and with spiritual issues as well as coverage of formal psychological approaches." --Palliative Medicine "The chapters are well written....Psycho-oncology is well worth every penny as a chaplanincy department resource for spur-of-the-moment questions that arise in patient care and interdisciplinary conferences. Further, it is a rich resource for leads on further reading and ideas for research projects."--National Association of Catholic Chaplains ."...the book more than justifies its publication, greatly expanding on the biomedical aspects of cancer and cancer care rather

About the Author:

Dr. Holland holds the Wayne E. Chapman Chair in Psychiatric Oncology in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center and is Professor and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

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