Quam bene vivas referre: curing and caring in psycho-oncology

By examining the medical-philosophical Latin heritage, some psycho-oncology principles may be traced in Claudius Galenus and Lucius Anneus Seneca. The former hypothesized a link between depression and cancer; the latter strongly underlined the need for not wasting time, living in the present by searching for meaning and reaching well-being of the soul through virtues, even when dealing with misfortune and negative life events.

On these premises, what follows here is an analysis of the first steps in the science of psychosocial care in cancer starting with the work of Arthur M. Sutherland and moving on to more recent psycho-oncology research, which has shown the centrality of a biopsychosocial approach in cancer integrating cure and care (within the double meaning of the old Latin noun cura).

Studies of the biopsychosocial approach covering the psychological implications of cancer (e.g., prevalence of emotional distress, application of DSM/ICD classical, and more recent psychiatric classification systems), their psychobiological concomitants (e.g., inflammation and immune dysregulation mechanisms in depression and chronobiology of stress and cancer), and interpersonal issues (e.g., doctor-patient communication and role of neuron mirror system) are discussed.

Psychosocial oncology avoids the distinction between curing and caring and includes science and compassion in a whole approach to the multidimensionality of the human being in balancing evidence-based with person-centered/narrative-based oncology (values-based oncology).