Utility of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with cancer patients: Systematic Review

Cancer patients have multiple alternatives in psychotherapy to address the emotional difficulties that accompany this disease. Within these alternatives, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is being provided due to its functionality in this population. It is necessary to review the results of the scientific literature regarding the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on psychological difficulties in cancer patients. Databases of MedLine, PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were reviewed to access information in English and Spanish related to this therapy in the last 15 years. From the articles found, we selected 16 that take into account dimensions such as experiential avoidance or psychological flexibility; limitations were also analyzed. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is observed as one of the most successful therapy in Psycho-oncology to improve depressive and anxiety symptoms due to the increase in psychological flexibility and decrease in the avoidance of cognitions and emotions related to cancer.