CANCER FAMILIES

It is obvious to me that cancer takes almost as much emotional toll among family members as it does the victim. The effects may be worse indeed, for they continue long after the cancer victim has died. Those still living have to cope with feelings of shock, grief and loss which may last for years.

Now a published study hammers home this point.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Apr 18 - The spouses and partners of cancer survivors experience emotional stress comparable to that seen in the patients themselves, and their long-term social costs may actually be greater, new research suggests.

"These findings highlight the importance of addressing the needs of family members who care for cancer patients, and who may be suffering in silence," lead author Dr. Michelle M. Bishop, from the University of Florida in Gainesville, said in a statement. "We need to acknowledge that cancer occurs in the context of a family that is profoundly affected by the experience, and that needs intervention for their own well-being."

The findings, which appear in the Journal of Clinical Oncology for April 10, are based on a study of 177 survivor-partner pairs, using 133 pairs unaffected by cancer as controls. All of the cancer survivors had undergone bone marrow transplantation which, as you will hear me say often, if one of the grimmest interventions carries out by doctors. Emotional and physical health were assessed around 6.7 years after transplantation.

The physical health of patient partners was normal – comparable to the non-cancer group in fact. But they suffered from fatigue and cognitive dysfunction (bad thoughts and bad emotions). Depression, sleeplessness and sexual dysfunction were the  commonest events. They also reported less social support, greater loneliness and spiritual discomfort. Suffering often brings one closer to the divine; but not in this situation, apparently. There was little of the sense of having “grown” in strength and understanding, the study reported.

That’s the purely scientific rhetoric. We all know logically that family member’s of a cancer patient need nurture and support too. Just make sure you stay in close contact with folks you know are struggling through this drama. It’s a kindness. It also makes sense in terms of social economics.

J Clin Oncol 2007;25:1403-1411.

Footnote: I have always felt it is wrong to disguise from a patient that he or she has a potentially terminal illness. That’s because it puts far too great a burden on the family and friends, who are crying out in their hearts to atone, to speak out their love, confess their sins and reconcile old hurts and wrongs – yet they are held to what is, after all, a lie. Thankfully this stupid subterfuge is used less these days.

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