The University of Milan has inaugurated a new Department of Oncology which will include a course on humanity for the first time, with ecancermedicalscience editorial board member Prof Gabriella Pravettoni as its Chair.

There is increasing realisation of the emotional and psychosocial needs of cancer patients during their journey with the disease. “Which day would you like to erase from your life?” was the question posed to patients at a London hospital recently. That of the terrible diagnosis of cancer was the the most common response.

Giving bad news and other information about cancer is never an easy task. However the communication between doctor and patient requires dialogue. Patients regard their oncologist as one of the most important sources of psychological support but does the oncologist have the training to provide this? With the right training, the doctor can help the patient with their emotional needs during his cancer journey, but to do this he needs to fully understand the suffering and needs of the patient.

With the inauguration of the Department of Oncology at the University of Milan came the opportunity to offer a new field of teaching, never before offered to medical students: “Humanity”. So as well as studying anatomy and pathology the medical student will also study the patient, or more precisely the emotional needs of the patient.

The project that Gabriella Pravettoni, who is a Professor of Psychology, proposes is to teach future doctors how to deal with the patient in their entirety, and not only to treat the disease. One of the most important issues in providing supportive care to cancer patients in the future is to meet the individual needs of patients and provide the type of psychological support which is best for them.

Read more about Prof Pravettoni's work here.