Archaic representations of cancers that are treated by advanced bio-technological methods
Fiche publication
Date publication
décembre 2008
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr BACQUE Marie-Frédérique
Tous les auteurs :
Bacque MF
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
Since the beginning of the industrial era, the myth of "perpetual progress" has caused medicine and patients alike to continually expect that "soon they'll find a new way of treating it...". But although therapies are increasingly sophisticated, representations of cancer have lagged behind. The historical development of collective images of diseases shows that the human factor still has a powerful effect on the understanding of the etiology of diseases, particularly serious and fatal ones. (The etiological attributions of the disease cancer result from the crossing of individual and collective representations). Our purpose is to show that these interpretations should be retained and taken into consideration by physicians and care-givers. Once discussed and transformed (or not) by the patient, such representations of the disease can be a basis for a fantasmatic construction that is compatible with real treatment and care. Such cultural and personal reconstruction can help the patient make better, unambiguous decisions, recognise the consequences of his life style and more easily accept the treatment and development of his/her disease.
Référence
Psycho-oncologie. 2008 Dec;2(4):225-33