Spouse caregivers of terminally-ill cancer patients as cancer patients: a pilot study in a palliative care unit.
OBJECTIVE
It is known that families of terminally-ill cancer patients show levels of emotional and functional disruption and are called "second order patients," however, little is actually known about the health problems of family members, especially in terms of cancer.


METHODS
This study reviewed the family histories of terminally-ill cancer patients in a palliative care unit and investigated cancer related health problems of the spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients.


RESULTS
We investigated the past medical history of 125 spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients and found that five spouses had a past medical history of cancer. In these five spouses, the duration of illness, present status of treatment and physical condition were reviewed from the database. Of these five spouses, three patients continued to attend an outpatient clinic regularly for checkup and one patient was hospitalized for nephrectomy. Two spouses did not have physical symptoms that made them unable to provide direct care for the terminally-ill spouses, while three could not provide care because of their own physical symptoms derived from cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicated that some of the spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients are not only "second order patients" but also "cancer patients." Our findings also suggest that some spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients might experience distress both as a cancer patient and as a spouse and may need care both as a cancer patient and as a spouse.
Onishi
Hideki
H
Department of Psychiatry, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Asahi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. h-onishi@jg7.sonet.ne.jp
Onose
Masanari
M
Okuno
Shigeko
S
Yae
Suzu
S
Mizuno
Yasuhiro
Y
Ito
Mizuho
M
Saito
Hideyuki
H
Kawanishi
Chiaki
C
D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010166:Palliative Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology