Cancer and its treatment are known to have a substantial psychological morbidity, but relatively little work has been done to investigate the effectiveness of psychotherapy with this group of patients. This paper outlines a newly developed cognitive behavioural approach for distressed cancer patients based on Beck's cognitive therapy. In addition to using cognitive and behavioural techniques to relieve depression and anxiety Adjuvant Psychological Therapy seeks to help patients develop a fighting spirit towards their illness. The application of the treatment is illustrated with the use of two case reports.