PsychoOncology: Psychological Assessment for Cancer Patients : Psychological Assessment for Cancer Patients

The psycho-social ramifications are serious, long-lasting, and broad and affect patients in all stages of cancer. Negative affectivity and social stress activate the sympathetic nervous system, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, which affects the immune system involved in inflammation. In India, Psycho-oncology is a dormant area with scanty research availability. The healthcare system in India caring for cancer does not make psycho-social aspects an essential part of their assessment, focusing mainly on the physical pain symptoms. The book analyzed various psychosocial factors affecting cancer patients in rural India and identified assessment tools that play an important role in its management. It highlights those factors impeding the incorporation of psychological knowledge in clinical care and a new horizon in Indian palliative end-of-life care. This handbook attempts to share the practice of psycho-oncology from an Indian perspective. This book thus provides a resource book on psycho-oncology from an Indian perspective and provides information about Indian research and literature. The book is a short introductory book and not a comprehensive one, for which the readers should look for more voluminous and detailed books. This book is a pragmatic one and simplifies this complex field for clinicians and researchers. Doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and others involved in cancer care would find this book useful.