心理腫瘤學關注癌癥的心理、社會、行為和倫理方面。這一分專業涉及癌癥的兩個主要心理層面:患者對癌癥在疾病所有階段的心理反應，及其家屬和照料者的心理反應;以及可能影響疾病進程的心理、行為和社會因素。Psycho-oncology是一個多學科的領域的興趣和邊界與腫瘤的主要專業:臨床學科(手術、醫學、兒科學、放療)、流行病學、免疫學、內分泌學、生物學、病理學、生物倫理學,姑息治療,康復醫學,臨床試驗研究和決策,以及精神病學和心理學。

Psycho-Oncology is concerned with the psychological, social, behavioral, and ethical aspects of cancer. This subspeciality addresses the two major psychological dimensions of cancer: the psychological responses of patients to cancer at all stages of the disease, and that of their families and caretakers; and the psychological, behavioral and social factors that may influence the disease process. Psycho-oncology is an area of multi-disciplinary interest and has boundaries with the major specialities in oncology: the clinical disciplines (surgery, medicine, pediatrics, radiotherapy), epidemiology, immunology, endocrinology, biology, pathology, bioethics, palliative care, rehabilitation medicine, clinical trials research and decision making, as well as psychiatry and psychology.