Breast Cancer Psycho-Social Aspects of Early Detection and Treatment

Undoubtedly, the medical aspects of mammary carcinoma-its cause, early detection and treatment-have received considerable attention. Rightly so. The disease is widespread and may be regarded as one of the most important health hazards for women. The psycho-social aspects of the problem, however, have so far received far less attention. Yet these aspects are of the utmost importance, as became evident once more during our workshop conference, of which this book presents the proceedings. It dealt with two aspects of psycho-social problems resulting from breast cancer: 1. The psycho-social difficulties that women may face when the diagnosis is given and when mastectomy has been performed. 2. The psycho-social factors that play a role in participation or non participation in screening programmes for mammary carcinoma. These two areas, and some related topics, have been the subject of a 2-day meeting in Brussels, organized by the International Health Foundation. A number of papers was presented and discussed. The meeting ended with a general discussion. The editors are grateful to the participants for their willingness to share their knowledge and ideas with them. It is hoped that this book will be of some help to all those who are involved in the treatment and the care of women who are to undergo or who have had a mastectomy and to those who plan the strategy of screening programmes for carcinoma of the breast.