[The importance of psychosocial oncology in the treatment of cancer patients].

Better medical care leads to an increased life expectancy but also to a growing psychosocial burden on the patients and their relatives. This development has led to the establishment of a new discipline: "Psychosocial Oncology". The psychosocial support of patients and their relatives as well as of nurses and physicians is described using the psychosocial aftercare unit attached to the department of surgery of the Heidelberg University Clinic as an example. Generally speaking two types of co-operation are possible-the consultation model and the integrated liaison model. Of these the latter seems to be the most appropriate but also the one most vulnerable to dysfunctions caused by professional and personal rivalries. In this paper the conditions necessary for a patient centered co-operation are discussed. If these requirements are met the patient centered approach, described by the three aspects of support, counseling and psychotherapy can be successful.