Psychosocial problems in cancer survivors

Cancer is a disease with both physical and psychosocial sequelae. While much is being learned about the physical late effects of cancer and its treatment, less is known about its psychosocial morbidity. Research shows that cancer survivors typically function quite adequately in their daily lives but may experience distress related to their past illness. The cancer survivor's self-image is crucial to the way he or she reenters and adapts to family and social life, school, or work, and this reentry and adaptation in turn influences self-image. The physician plays as important a role in the survivor's psychosocial healing as he did in the patient's physical treatment.