title: Spouse caregivers of terminally-ill cancer patients as cancer patients: a pilot study in a palliative care unit.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Asahi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. h-onishi@jg7.sonet.ne.jp
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Onishi
authors.forename: Masanari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onose
authors.forename: Shigeko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okuno
authors.forename: Suzu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yae
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Mizuho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Chiaki
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kawanishi
mesh_terms: 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