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History

Cancer brings with it tremendous psychological, emotional, and social distress to individuals and their families touched by the disease.

Research evidence suggests that 3 out of 5 (nearly 60%) cancer patients suffer from severe psychological distress warranting professional psychological intervention (Holland 1998). In recognition of this felt-need, a new field of science emerged in the late 1970s – the field of Psycho-oncology.

Psycho-oncology is a “Multidisciplinary subspecialty of Oncology concerned with the emotional responses of patients at all stages of disease, their families, and staff.” It is also concerned with “the psychological, social, and behavioural variables that influence cancer prevention, risk, and survival.” The field has expanded to cover a vast ground of cancer care: prevention, detection, treatment, end-of-life care and life after cancer including distress of cancer care givers (family, doctors and staff etc)”.

Psychological well-being is now considered the 6th vital sign in cancer (NCCN 2005) and several countries (USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Israel etc.), have drawn up Guidelines for cancer Psychosocial care and they have integrated Psycho-oncology into mainstream cancer care. India is yet to catch up with western countries in terms of integrating psychosocial care into cancer management and very few cancer centres in the country have Psycho-oncology service.

Jimmy

Dr. Jimmy C. Holland

Dr. Jimmie Coker Holland is known as the Mother of Psycho-oncology, as she was instrumental in establishing the field of psycho-oncology. She along with her colleagues started a full-time psychiatric service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in 1977. The program was first of its kind in cancer treatment, and she trained psychologists to specialize in issues specific to people with cancer.

Dr. Jimmy C. Holland
Mother of Psycho-Oncology
(April 9, 1928 – December 24, 2017)




Important People!

John

Dr. Arthur M Sutherland

At a time when the psychological aspects of illness stood just on the threshold of scientific inquiry, Dr. Arthur M. Sutherland established a body of research in the cancer field in the 1950s where none existed and applied the resulting knowledge to his patients in an attempt to alleviate their suffering. His work on stress & cancer was the first of its kind. His focus was on how patients adapted to disease & its treatment.

Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC2030856/pdf/ pubhealthreporig01083-0074.pdf

Dr. Arthur M Sutherland

Psycho-social Oncology
Memorial Hospital

John

Dr. Robert Ader

Considered as the Co-Founder of the field of Psycho-neuro-immunology his early research demonstrated immune responses are shaped by complex interactions among behavior, the nervous system, and the immune systems. In the 1970s, his research revealed that Pavlovian conditioning could be used to modulate immune responses in rodents.
Dr. Ader was the founder of the Psycho-neuro-immunology Research Society

Link: http://www.pnei-it.com/1/upload/ conditioned_induced_ immunosuppression_1975.pdf

Dr. Robert Ader

Psycho-neuro-immunology
University of Rochester

John

Dr. Nicholas Cohen

Considered as the Co-Founder of the field of Psycho-neuro-immunology his early research demonstrated immune responses are shaped by complex interactions among behavior, the nervous system, and the immune systems. In the 1970s, his research revealed that Pavlovian conditioning could be used to modulate immune responses in rodents.

Link: http://www.pnei-it.com/1/upload/ conditioned_induced_ immunosuppression_1975.pdf

Dr. Nicholas Cohen

Psycho-neuro-immunology
University of Rochester

John

Dr. William Redd

Dr. Redd has been engaged in research on psychosocial-oncology and cancer prevention and control and is credited for introducing behavioral psychology and behavioral medicine to research and clinical practice in cancer supportive care. He is noted for his work with behavioral interventions designed to address psycho-somatic symptoms related to cancer & its treatments including his early work on anticipatory nausea & vomiting in chemotherapy.

Link: https://academic.oup.com/abm/ article-abstract/5/2-3/12/4648564? redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false

Dr. William Redd

Psycho-social oncology (Behavioral therapy)
Mount Sinai Medical Center

John

Frits Van Dam

Dr. Frits Van Dam developed the first psychosocial research unit in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1976. His main research interests were: cognitive impairment after cancer treatment, pain and health services research. His work with Dr. Aronson in the 1980s helped to better define the term “Quality of life” leading to development of various assessment tools used today. He was the secretary of the Dutch Society against Quackery and has published several articles on the use of alternative treatments by cancer patients. He was well known to the public for his columns in the Telegraph and for his relentless fight against quacks and tobacco mafia.

Frits Van Dam

Psycho-social oncology
University of Amsterdam

John

Dr. Susan Folkman

Dr. Folkman is internationally recognized for her theoretical and empirical contributions to the field of psychological stress and coping. Her 1984 book with Richard S. Lazarus, Stress, Appraisal, and Coping is considered a classic that helped shape the field. Folkman coined the terms "emotion-focused coping" and "problem-focused coping" as part of her doctoral thesis. The stress & coping theory proposed by Dr. Folkman & Dr. Lazarus changed the way stress was defined giving more emphasis on appraisal.

Link: https://books.google.co.uk/books? hl=en&lr=&id=i-ySQQuUpr8C&oi= fnd&pg=PR5&ots=DgHPqrglQc&sig =HmB_oUdqFkqezrLFWC2mcE- u1Qk&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Dr. Susan Folkman

Health psychology (Stress & Coping)
University of California at San Francisco (UCSF)

John

Dr. David Spiegel

Dr. David Spiegel has more than 40 years of clinical and research experience studying psycho-oncology, stress and health, pain control, psychoneuroendocrinology, sleep, hypnosis, and conducting randomized clinical trials involving psychotherapy for cancer patients. He has published thirteen books, 404 scientific journal articles, and 170 book chapters on hypnosis, psychosocial oncology, stress physiology, trauma, and psychotherapy. He was a member of the work groups on stressor and trauma-related disorders for the DSM-IV and DSM-5 editions of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Link: https://web.archive.org/web/ 20170809132840id_/http://www. 7starsma.com/images/Hypno-Carcinoma.pdf

Dr. David Spiegel

Psycho-social oncology (Breast cancer/ Hypnosis)
Stanford University School of Medicine

John

Barry Bultz

The first-ever Director of Psychosocial Oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Dr. Barry’s greatest contribution to psychosocial oncology is the establishment of global acceptance of screening for distress as the 6th Vital Sign for cancer patients. It was under his leadership as President of IPOS, the organization was brought into official relations with the World Health Organization, and declared screening for distress and the 6th Vital Sign as standard of cancer care.

Barry Bultz

Psycho-social Oncology (Distress screening)
Tom Baker Cancer Centre Division of Psychosocial Oncology

John

William S. Breitbart

Dr. Breitbart's initial research focused on the psychological and psychosocial factors associated with the desire for a hastened death among the terminally ill population. He and his colleagues reframed the concept of despair at the end of life, expanding the concerns of palliative and supportive care beyond symptom management. In addition to constructs such as depression and anxiety, they found that factors such as hopelessness, loss of meaning, and decreased spiritual well-being contributed greatly to the dying patients’ sense of suffering. His most recent research efforts involve the development of novel psychotherapeutic interventions, which he has named "Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy", aimed at sustaining meaning and improving spiritual well-being in the terminally ill.

Link:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/epdf/10.1002/pon.1556

William S. Breitbart

Psycho- social oncology (Terminally ill)
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

John

Dr. Luigi Grassi

Dr. Grassi’s clinical and research interests are in the area of psycho-oncology, consultation-liaison psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine, with particular reference to the cultural aspects of cancer in Southern European countries, and in the area of psychosocial rehabilitation in psychiatry. He is the author of about 200 scientific papers, chapters of books and books including “Clinical Psycho-Oncology: An International perspective” published in 2012.

Link:https://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/S0033318296715165#

Dr. Luigi Grassi

Psycho-social Oncology (Liaison psychiatry)
University of Ferrara

John

Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser

Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser is known for her vast contribution to the field of psycho-neuro-immunology. Her studies have demonstrated important health consequences of stress, including slower wound healing and impaired vaccine responses. Her work along with others showcases how psychological or behavioural factors may influence the incidence or progression of cancer through psychosocial influences on immune function and other physiological pathways. In addition, her programmatic work has focused on how personal relationships influence immune and endocrine function, and health. Her more recent work has demonstrated that stress and depression can alter metabolic and inflammatory responses to high-fat meals in ways that promote weight gain.

Link:http://pni.osumc.edu/KG%20 Publications%20(pdf)/128.pdf

Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser

Psycho-neuro- immunology
Ohio State Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research

John

Dr. Luzia Travado

Dr. Luzia Travado is a clinical health psychologist who developed an innovative and successful psychosocial care program for breast cancer patients. She was the Principal Investigator (PI) of the CALM Project: 'Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) which involved the adaptation and validation of a brief evidence-based psychotherapeutic intervention for patients with metastatic breast cancer in the Portuguese context'. Currently she is Principal Investigator (PI) of a project regarding Distress and regional brain metabolism in MBC patients, and also of a project for developing new psychological care resources for MBC patients in Portugal. She has many scientific papers published in peer-review journals. She has served as Specialty-editor for The Breast, and is also founder and Editorial Board member of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice, the official journal of the International Psycho-Oncology Society.

Link:https://www.academia.edu/6623923 1/Managing_Cancer_and_Living_Meaning fully_CALM_A_qualitative_study_of_a_ brief_individual_psychotherapy_for_ individuals_with_advanced_cancer

Dr. Luzia Travado

Psycho-social oncology (Breast Cancer)
Champalimaud Clinical Centre

John

Dr. Neil Aronson

Dr. Neil Aronson is best known for developing standardized questionnaires for assessing the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with cancer to help physicians and nurses provide a better quality of care. His work has led to the integration of quality of life assessments into clinical trials and clinical practice settings. He has also developed and evaluated a range of behavioral interventions to relieve symptoms and enhance the physical and psychosocial well-being of cancer patients.

Link:https://link.springer.com/ chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-83419-6_27

Dr. Neil Aronson

Psycho-social oncology (HRQOL)
Netherlands Cancer Institute

John

Dr. Maria Die Trill

Dr. Maria Die Trill, trained in MSKCC & having worked in Dana- Farber cancer institute, she created the first PsychoOncology Unit in Spain at the university hospital Gregorio Marañón in Madrid. She has published two Psycho-Oncology manuals in Spanish: PSICO-ONCOLOGÍA (Psycho-Oncology) and ASPECTOS PSICOLÓGICOS EN CUIDADOS PALIATIVOS (Psychological Aspects in Palliative Care). She has worked with Dr Jimmie Holland in developing a model curriculum for training in psycho-oncology. She is also the author of several videos and other material for training physicians in communication skills.

Link:http://zdxm.bbygny.com/xuexi/ yxhs/New%20Challenges%20in%20 Communication%20with%20Cancer %20Patients.pdf#page=22814)

Dr. Maria Die Trill

Psycho-social oncology
Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón

John

Dr. David Cella

: Dr. David Cella is best known for his work in developing the quality of life assessment tool, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT). Currently he is the MPI of the Environmental Children’s Health Outcomes (ECHO) Consortium PRO Core grant. His work ensures that the voice of the patient is reflected in clinical care and clinical research, including areas of high-stakes decision-making such as regulatory review, payer negotiations, and individual clinical care, ensuring measurement sensitive to diverse populations including issues of health literacy and health disparities and developmentally-sensitive measurement across the lifespan.

Link: https://www.facit.org/

Dr. David Cella

Psycho-social oncology (FACT)
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

John

Dr. Andrew J Roth

Dr. Andrew Roth is known for first developing the distress thermometer as a rapid screening tool for prostate cancer patients. His expertise focuses on the psychological and psychiatric problems of patients with prostate cancer and other genitourinary diseases. He provides individual and couples interventions to patients and their families, as well as care for patients through our Geriatric Counseling Program, Bereavement Services, and Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine Program. He is also the psychiatric liaison to the Genitourinary and Geriatric Disease Management Teams. His research interests have included studying fatigue related to prostate cancer and the development of geriatric-specific psychotherapy.

Link: https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/%28SICI %291097-0142%2819980515%2982 %3A10%3C1904%3A%3AAID-CNCR13 %3E3.0.CO%3B2-X

Dr. Andrew J Roth

Psycho-social Oncology (Prostate cancer)
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

John

Dr. Tim A. Ahles

Dr. Tim Ahles developed & currently leads the Neurocognitive Research Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The lab examines cognitive changes associated with cancer (e.g., brain tumors) and cancer treatments (e.g., chemotherapy and radiation therapy). His research has focused on investigating cognitive changes associated with adjuvant chemotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer. He has worked extensively on developing cognitive-behavioural interventions designed to improve symptom management (e.g., cognitive problems, pain, sleep disorders) and to reduce stress associated with cancer and cancer treatments. He has also published research in the areas of cancer pain management and palliative care.

Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC9118140/

Dr. Tim A. Ahles

Neuro-psycho-oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

John

Dr. Peter Mcguire

A professor of psychological medicine, Dr. Peter McGuire is best known for his contributions to put communication skills training on the agenda for all healthcare staff and promoting the role of the specialist cancer nurse in the United Kingdom. His early research showed that many patients in a medical ward had anxiety or depressive illnesses, which added to their suffering; these patients were not receiving any help with their psychological distress because their doctors were unaware of it. He demonstrated the various ways that doctors and nurses might prevent patients expressing their real worries or distress during clinical interviews. He went on to train healthcare staff to change their style of interviewing so that they could elicit patients' concerns and give difficult information without overwhelming patients.

Link:https://books.google.co.uk/books/ about/Communication_Skills_for_Doctors .html?id=qmV5QgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Dr. Peter Mcguire

Doctors’ communication skills
Manchester University

John

Dr. Christina Puchalski

Christina Puchalski is the founder and Executive Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health and Professor of Medicine and Health Sciences at The George Washington University School of Medicine. Through her work she has pioneered novel clinical and educational techniques for integrating spirituality into numerous disciplines in healthcare. She is the author of numerous publications, including A Time for Listening and Caring: Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying (Oxford, 2006), and has been principal or co-principal investigator in several research projects dealing with spirituality and healthcare. She is known for her role in developing FICA as a tool for assessing spiritual needs of a patient.

Link:https://www.tandfonline.com/ doi/pdf/10.1080/08998280.2001. 11927788

Dr. Christina Puchalski

Spirituality
Director, The George Washington University Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish)