Over a quarter of a million women will hear the diagnosis of breast cancer every year, and breast cancer will kill about forty thousand women each year.  Naturally, when faced with this news, women will variously experience fear, shock, sadness, disbelief or other feelings of psychosocial distress.

In Meeting Psychosocial Needs of Women with Breast Cancer, the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine examines the psychological consequences of the cancer experience. The report focuses specifically on breast cancer in women because this group has the largest survivor population (over two million) and is the most extensively studied cancer from the standpoint of psychological effects. The report:

• Characterizes the psychosocial consequences of a diagnosis of breast cancer;
• Describes psychosocial services, how they are delivered, and evaluates their effectiveness;
• Assesses the status of professional education and training and applied clinical and health services research; and
• Proposes policies to improve the quality of care and quality of life for women with breast cancer and their families.