[Psychosocial rehabilitation of cancer patients]

The author draws attention of three myths that seem to be establishing in the framework of psychosocial rehabilitation of cancer patients, i.e. - that our current knowledge of the psychosocial situation of cancer patients is sufficient to enable systematic therapies to be offered; - that our current knowledge allows coping processes in cancer patients to be evaluated; - that disease models stemming from the treatment of neuroses can be transferred to psychotherapy of cancer patients. The potentially adverse implications these doctrines have for practical therapeutic work are underlined, and proposals are put forward relative to the fundamental research needed in the field of psychotherapy of cancer patients.