PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE: A KEY TO EFFECTIVE REHABILITATION IN ONCOLOGY PATIENTS

Abstract

Malignant tumors are still a challenging problem of contemporary medicine. The incidence of malignant diseases and patient mortality is increasing with time while there is no significant growth in long-term survival. Oncological diseases affect the quality of patient’s life more than any other medical conditions. In this regard, medical professionals are expected to pay a special attention to the psychosomatic aspects of patient management. It is important to realize that social and psychological maladaptation have a negative impact on the immune defense, which may trigger the onset or relapse of the major disease. Psychotherapy can improve the patient’s response to oncological treatment; the best way is to start using psychotherapy at the time of diagnosis. For the optimal effect, it is advisable to transfer the patients to specialized rehabilitation centers.

Keywords

• oncology
• rehabilitation
• psychosomatics
• psychotherapy
• quality of life.