In this critical review the authors selectively appraised the literature on the psychosomatic aspects of cancer in connection with: 1, the incidence of cancer in mental institutions; 2, the patient's emotional reaction to cancer; 3, the psychological history or personality pattern of cancer patients; and 4, the relation of psychological phenomena to the rate of progression of neoplastic disease. For the most part the authors found the recorded studies seriously lacking in methodological design and execution, rendering the results equivocal. Serveral suggestions are advanced for improving research design.