Psychooncology. Concepts and tasks of a young discipline

Weis J, Schumacher A, Blettner G, Determann M, Reinert E, Ruffer JU, Werner A, Weyland P

Zusammenfassung

In recent years, the psychosocial stresses and sequelae of cancer have been increasingly focused on by the public interest. Psychosocial counseling and interventions are now an integrated and essential part of modern cancer therapy, although in Germany a large gap exists between the scientific state of the art and real-world psychosocial care. Psychooncology is a young discipline dealing with the intercorrelations of physical, psychological, and social factors in the etiology and course of cancer. Based on many scientific studies, specific psychosocial interventions regarding prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare have been developed to support cancer patients. This article gives an overview of the young field of psychooncology, focusing on its development during the last decades.