Cancer and the family - Lea Baider

Cancer and the Family Second Edition Edited by Lea Baider Department of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology, Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel Cary L. Cooper University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK Atara Kaplan De–Nour Hadassah University Hospital, Hadassah Medical Organization, Israel Cancer remains one of the most common and serious diseases at the dawn of the twenty–first century. One in three families in the industrialized world can expect to be confronted by the disease. Far from being an isolated experience for the patient, cancer affects every individual within a family and has a major impact on the family structure itself. Since the highly successful first edition of this book, in 1996, the field has made great strides as research and clinical studies have shed new light on the important role of the family in cancer. The second edition has been completely revised and extended to incorporate this new knowledge. With ten more chapters than the first edition, new areas are discussed including the role of culture and belief systems, specific family intervention and the impact of genetics on the response of patients and their families to cancer. The editors and authors of this second edition have succeeded in providing a refreshing and comprehensive view of the issues confronting families around the world when one of their members is diagnosed with cancer. The fields of psycho–oncology and oncology in general are the benefactors, as well as patients and their families for whom the result will be a better approach to clinical care.