5 Key Concepts in Cancer-Related PTSD

While having a diagnosis of—and being treated for—cancer is often colloquially referred to as traumatic, the validity and utility of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) construct in the context of malignant disease has been debated. DSM-IV-TR considered life-threatening illness as a potential traumatic stressor, inspiring a sizable literature documenting the prevalence and correlates of cancer-related PTSD. However, changes to the DSM-5 PTSD criteria and more enduring conceptual issues call into question the applicability of PTSD to the cancer experience.