Caring for the Patient with Cancer: Body and Soul

Is oncology a spiritual practice? As a medical oncology fellow, I have engaged in existential questions that patients dying from cancer often ask. What is the meaning of my illness? Why am I suffering? Recognizing illness as a spiritual event did not come from any classroom experience, but experiential learning. The transcendent, spiritual nature of medicine is found in the crevices of daily practice. The spiritual nature of medical care begins when we acknowledge how much patients and healthcare professionals suffer.
Source: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management - Category: Palliative Care Authors: Source Type: research