New Delhi, June 13 -- Nirmala Thomas's novel Manjil Oruval, translated from the Malayalam as Snowed Under by Radhika P. Menon, has an unusual coda. Written by Dr M.V. Pillai, clinical professor of oncology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in the US, this concluding note is a physician's testimony to the unique value that fiction can bring to the emerging field of psycho-oncology-and even to palliative care protocols in general. The "treatment approaches developed within this discipline (psycho-oncology) aim to provide care and comfort not only to patients but also to their loved ones," he explains, drawing attention to an evolving practice that goes beyond treating the disease alone to addressing the fear, stigma and unease ...