The Psychosocial Status of Cancer Patients After Cessation of Treatment

Abstract

The psychosocial status of 15 patients with early-stage Hodgkin's disease who were treated solely with radiation therapy and had been through with active treatment for two years or less was compared with the status of a group of 28 patients with early-stage disease who had completed the same treatment more than two years earlier. After controlling for type and stage of disease and the effects of the immediate post-treatment period, the authors found that their results supported a view that the impact of the cancer experience may have a subtle effect on patients' psychosocial well-bing which lasts for years after treatment has ended. Conceptualization of the long-term survivor and directions for future research are discussed.