An honorary professor of social psychology and a specialist in the psychology of health, Gustave-Nicolas Fischer is currently a visiting professor at the Universities of Montreal and Geneva. He is the author of numerous authoritative works on the links between mind and body such as Les Blessures psychiques (Odile Jacob) and Les Concepts fondamentaux de la psychologie de la santé (Dunod).

Cancer statistics are high all over the developed world. In France alone, there are 350,000 diagnosed cancer cases and 150,000 annual cancer deaths. Over the past several years, considerable progress has been made in prevention and early diagnosis and more is now known about cancer’s highly complex biomedical factors. And yet, little is known about the psychological aspects of the disease. What role does psychology play in the occurrence, development and remission of cancer?
A complex, multifunctional disease, cancer cannot be reduced to purely psychological causes or aspects — and yet psychology plays a major role: are there psychological risks? Can psychological factors provoke cancer? What is cancer’s psychological impact? Finally, what are the psychological factors that favour the healing process while helping patients cope with and endure the disease?

• This is a rigorous study of the impact of psychological factors on cancer.
• A book that will help patients understand the psychological dimension of what they are undergoing and aid their families and healthcare workers give them the best care possible.