[Relationship with the patient with bronchopulmonary cancer. Psychological, family and social aspects].

The relationship with a patient suffering from bronchopulmonary cancer is often difficult for the pulmonary physician. This is because of the gloomy prognosis, the unpleasant reputation of the disease, the length of treatment and its efficacy. The quality of life of the patient depends to a great extent on the manner in which he perceives his illness, participates in the treatment and lives through the various stages of this approach till death. The doctor ought to be the guardian of hope, a hope which changes its form and objective as the disease progresses, all of which lead the patient to an understanding of the gravity of the disease and both enables him to talk about it, while maintaining a confident relationship with the doctor. This double requirement of "truth" from doctor and patient should be present from the onset, till the terminal phase. The whole medical team is concerned with this relationship. A conversation with one person may make the patient fear for any therapeutic hopes, and against those objectives which might have tempered the distress which had risen by an impression of therapeutic impotence. With the family communication is also full of tricky points. The principal preoccupation of the doctor is to preserve the relationship established with the patient. This accompaniment demands great availability and above all a lot of time.