MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

Onco-psychology is a specialized discipline in the field of oncology and psychology to help cancer patients mobilize all their resources to live a (psychologically) healthy life while in active treatment or in remission.  Onco-psychotherapy addresses and support the patient’s emotional responses, experiences and adjustment during all the stages of the illness and treatment.

The physical and psychological adjustment to cancer is a complex and lifelong process requiring recognition from the medical team.  Treating cancer requires a holistic and comprehensive care plan involving the bio-psycho-social model of treatment where cure and care are complementary parts of oncology treatment.   

The primary aim in cancer intervening psychotherapy is to enhance the quality of life of patients  through assisting them to achieve optimum functioning within the limits imposed by their condition and adapting successfully to their “new” reality.

Involving the family members is key in treating a cancer patient for their own understanding of the illness and their journey ahead, including quality of life of the whole family.  

Due to the overlapping of the somatic symptoms, the diagnosis of depression can be overseen or difficult to make which often leads to the under diagnosis and treatment of depression, complicating the treatment and outcome of the cancer. 

IPOS (The International Psycho-Oncology Society) advocated distress as the 6th vital sign.  Unrecognised  distress has been associated with reduced treatment compliance and elevated risk of disease progression and death. 

Referring a cancer patient to a clinical psychologist from the time of diagnosis helps with the immediate trauma, adaptation and expectations of the whole family and preparing them for the treatment process ahead or for the palliative stage and beyond. 

Cancer, even when in remission, is defined as a chronic condition because of the lifelong oncology follow up appointments to check on their cancer status or chronic treatment for a cancer that is not in remission but need chronic treatment. 

Although all cancers can cause psychopathology such as depression, anxiety and sexual dysfunction, it is evident that women with breast cancer and gynaecologic cancers have a higher risk of developing depression or other mood disorders and sexual dysfunctions compared to other cancers, the main reason for this tendency being hormonal changes due to their postmenopausal or oestrogen deficiency stat.  This can cause certain physical and psychological symptoms to remain long after the end of treatment which make those women good candidates for psychotherapy (Juraskova, Butow, Bonner, Robertson, & Sharpe, 2013; Phaendler, Wenzel, Mechanic & Penner, 2015).

Moving from being an acute and active cancer patient to “beyond” the treatment stage (at the end of treatment or remission) can be a difficult transition and if not acknowledged and prepared for the re-entry phase by the oncology team and the cancer survivor, she/he can find herself/himself in a state of limbo without the necessary skills to learn to live with the chronicity of cancer. 

A cancer patient and their family should have the choice to see a clinical psychologist.