[Psychology and the cancer patient]

Over the past thirty years, an abundant international production has been generated on the subject of this paper. Papers may be subdivided into two main streams, one with an assistential bent and the other psychosomatic. In its turn, the latter takes in certain studies relating to a psychological model and another group of writings is oriented in accordance with psychodynamic principles. Both aim to evidence a certain correlation between physical and mental phenomena. Psychobiological theories aim to provide a model of correlation between the set of psychophysiological phenomena known as stress and cancer, while the psychodynamic view proposes a correlation between cancer and the individual personality; specifically, the theories set out to explain how the personality structure of a number of individuals leads to their managing stress anomalously with the result that stress is involved in the development of cancer along with genetic and environmental factors. Within this latter context, a number of workers have defined typical anamnestic profiles on the basis of the evolution of such personalities. The present study concerns 44 cases used to examine the orientation of the international literature, above all for the purpose of elaborating psychotherapeutic techniques possibly working in synergy with medical techniques in the treatment of some of these patients.