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Mind/Body Interactions in Cancer: Myths, Methods and Evidence

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Progress in Anti-Cancer Chemotherapy

Part of the book series: Progress in Anti-Cancer Chemotherapy ((ANTI-CANCER,volume 4))

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Abstract

As advances in medical treatment extend life with cancer, converting it from a terminal to a chronic disease, problems in coping with the illness and its treatment become more important. Finding means of helping people live with a chronic life threat, cope with the side effects of arduous treatments, and manage the personal, social and vocational consequences of disease-related disability is of growing importance. These encouraging trends have brought problems with them, however. Growing interest in the mind/body connection in the popular literature has fueled a growing appetite for complementary and alternative treatments and ideas, some of which are useful, while others are potentially harmful (Spiegel, Stroud et al. 1998). Recent studies show that more than forty percent of Americans utilize complementary treatments, and most do so in addition to rather than in place of conventional medical care (Eisenberg, Davis et al. 1998). However, two-thirds of patients who utilize such treatments do not tell their physicians that they are doing so (Eisenberg, Kessler et al. 1993). This has the potential to undermine the doctor-patient relationship (Spiegel 1999).

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Authors
  1. D. Spiegel
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pitié-Salpétrière Hospital SOMPS, 47, bd de l’Hôpital, 75651, Paris Cedex 13, France

    David Khayat

  2. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, 77030, Houston, Texas, USA

    Gabriel N. Hortobagyi

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© 2000 Springer-Verlag France

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Spiegel, D. (2000). Mind/Body Interactions in Cancer: Myths, Methods and Evidence. In: Khayat, D., Hortobagyi, G.N. (eds) Progress in Anti-Cancer Chemotherapy. Progress in Anti-Cancer Chemotherapy, vol 4. Springer, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-2-8178-0920-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-2-8178-0920-5_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Paris

  • Print ISBN: 978-2-287-59692-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-2-8178-0920-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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