Cancer and Emotion: Psychological Preludes and Reactions to Cancer Book

Can stressful experiences help to cause cancer? Is there a cancer-prone personality? What are the psychological effects of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and cancer surgery? Does a positive outlook increase the chances of recovering from cancer? Answers to these questions are avidly sought by an increasingly concerned public. Jennifer Hughes has written this book as a result of her research studies amongst patients with lung or breast cancer, in recognition of the need for a balanced, factual and non-technical presentation of the current state of knowledge on cancer and emotion. She discusses not only the psychological preludes to cancer, but how cancer affects the emotions, and how emotional factors may influence cancer growth. Each chapter is self- contained, and references to other publications are given for readers who require more detail. Case histories and quotations from patients illustrate the points made in the text, and vivid personal descriptions of what it is like to have cancer are included. This is a controversial and complicated subject explained by the author in simple, clear terms, for cancer patients themselves, their families, and those who care for them professionally.Read More