Among the works of Cesa-Bianchi in health psychology, several basic concepts of research and practice in psycho-oncology could be find, such as the role of psychology and psychologists in health care, the importance of the doctor-patient relationship, the central role of communication, and the need to keep in mind the psychological characteristics of patients, particularly when they have to face a life-threatening disease.This paper describes the importance of his main contributions on these aspects of psycho-oncology, highlighting his ability to anticipate the changes that have occurred, over the years, in the theoretical paradigms of health psychology.
Keywords: Marcello Cesa-Bianchi, psycho-oncology, doctor-patient communication; resilience; bio-psyco-social model; psychology training for doctors