Meeting Psychosocial Needs of Women with Breast Cancer

In Meeting Psychosocial Needs of Women with Breast Cancer , the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine examines the psychosocial consequences of the cancer experience. The book focuses specifically on breast cancer in women because this group has the largest survivor population (over 2 million) and this disease is the most extensively studied cancer from the standpoint of psychosocial effects. The book characterizes the psychosocial consequences of a diagnosis of breast cancer, describes psychosocial services and how they are delivered, and evaluates their effectiveness. It assesses the status of professional education and training and applied clinical and health services research and proposes policies to improve the quality of care and quality of life for women with breast cancer and their families. Because cancer of the breast is likely a good model for cancer at other sites, recommendations for this cancer should be applicable to the psychosocial care provided generally to individuals with cancer. For breast cancer, and indeed probably for any cancer, the report finds that psychosocial services can provide significant benefits in quality of life and success in coping with serious and life-threatening disease for patients and their families. Cover......Page 1 Meeting Psychosocial Needs of Women with Breast Cancer......Page 2 Copyright......Page 3 Reviewers......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Executive Summary......Page 12 1 Introduction......Page 22 2 Epidemiology of Breast Cancer......Page 26 3 Psychosocial Needs of Women with Breast Cancer......Page 32 4 Psychosocial Services and Providers......Page 81 5 The Effectiveness of Psychosocial Interventions for Women with Breast Cancer......Page 106 6 Delivering Psychosocial Services......Page 144 7 Barriers to Appropriate Use of Psychosocial Services......Page 176 8 Research......Page 210 Appendix A: Meeting Psychosocial Needs of Women with Breast Cancer......Page 240 Appendix B: Tables and Boxes Summarizing Evidence from Clinical Trials......Page 245 Presents a report from the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council examining the psychological consequences of the cancer experience. Focuses on breast cancer in women and describes psychosocial services, how they are delivered, and evaluates effectiveness.