Despite advances in molecular biology and therapeutics, cancer continues to be a major source of morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis and treatment are often stressful, and high levels of psychological and psychiatric disorders have been reported consistently over the last 20 years.However, there is evidence that much of this distress is preventable by providing a support service that is open-access and fully integrated functionally and geographically with other parts of cancer services. This paper reviews the findings of some of the interventional research carried out by the author and his colleagues over the past 20 years. These studies have provided evidence that relaxation therapy, guided imagery and hypnotherapy can be very beneficial in helping patients cope with the diagnosis and treatment. Intriguingly, there is some evidence that they may prolong life, although further studies are required to clarify this. In the meantime, however, it is clear that much can be done to prevent, as well as to treat, cancer-related problems.