This book offers a rich exploration of how cancer is experienced, narrated, and understood through creative literature. Drawing on literary works by 30 international authors, Ad A. Kaptein and Brian Hughes focus on the human experience of cancer, examining the lived experiences of patients, their families, and caregivers. Framed within psychological theory and the evolving field of Health Humanities, Writing Cancer provides a scholarly yet accessible analysis of narratives and how they can help shape clinical understanding. The authors invite health researchers and clinicians to reconsider the patient’s voice and emphasise a culturally grounded, empathic, and holistically framed approach to cancer care.
Ad A. Kaptein is emeritus professor of medical psychology at Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), the Netherlands. His research and teaching focus on illness and medical management, in particular chronic respiratory illness and cancer, as well as Illness perceptions, illness narratives, explanatory models, and health humanities.
Brian M. Hughes is Professor of Psychology at the University of Galway, Ireland. He specialises in psychophysiology, health psychology, and the application of psychology to social issues. His books include Psychology's Quiet Conservatism (2025), A Conceptual History of Psychology (2023), The Psychology of Brexit (2019), and Psychology in Crisis (2018).
This book offers a rich exploration of how cancer is experienced, narrated, and understood through creative literature. Drawing on literary works by 30 international authors, Ad A. Kaptein and Brian Hughes focus on the human experience of cancer, examining the lived experiences of patients, their families, and caregivers. Framed within psychological theory and the evolving field of Health Humanities, Writing Cancer provides a scholarly yet accessible analysis of narratives and how they can help shape clinical understanding. The authors invite health researchers and clinicians to reconsider the patient’s voice and emphasise a culturally grounded, empathic, and holistically framed approach to cancer care.
Foregrounds cancer patient narratives, as reflected in literary works in which living with cancer is the core theme Includes chapters on core concepts such as quality of life, the biopsychosocial model, and clinical research Features short quizzes that might encourage students or teachers to consider novels in their work
Ad A. Kaptein
cancer psychology health humanities medical humanities medical psychology patient-reported outcomes quality of life biopsychosocial model illness narratives explanatory models Leo Tolstoy Simone de Beauvoir Susan Sontag Thomas Mann Philip Roth