As the practice of paediatric oncology continues to advance and prognoses continue to improve, the course of treatment for children with poor prognoses becomes more biologically aggressive, more stressful, and more uncertain. Even for children who cannot be cured, new treatments have prolonged the survival of those with active disease and, consequently, medical interventions have complicated the dying process. For those who are cured, there are the lingering uncertainties of having undergone medical regimens whose adverse late effects are not yet fully understood. Consequently the field of paediatric oncology now encompasses more than strictly medical concerns. The conditions of treatment, survival, and dying have become the concerns of all health-care practitioners, including psychiatrists.
This volume addresses a range of psychological issues - coping with paediatric cancer, pain and symptom management, medication compliance, sibling and family relations, care of the dying child, among others - pertaining to the practice of paediatric oncology. Each topic encompasses a substantial body of research that not only has theoretical but applied significance. Each chapter is written by a nationally recognized investigator in his or her respective area of inquiry and (1) contextually defines the research area, (2) discusses theoretical and methodological concerns of the area, (3) critically reviews and integrates research findings in the area, and (4) discusses unresolved research issues and suggests future research. The topics included are currently supported by sufficient empirical research to allow useful generalization of findings in the clinical setting.
