title: The effects of a cancer diagnosis on the health of a patient's partner: a population-based registry study of cancer in Sweden.
abstract: The aim of this population-based registry study was to explore how cancer influences the health of partners, by examining the onset of new diagnoses for partners, health care use and health care costs among partners living with patients with cancer. The sample consisted of partners of patients with cancer (N = 10 353) and partners of age- and sex-matched controls who did not have cancer (N = 74 592). Diagnoses, health care use and health care costs were studied for a continuous period starting 1 year before the date of cancer diagnosis and continued for 3 years. One year after cancer diagnosis, partners of patients with cancer had significantly more mood disorders, reactions to severe stress and ischaemic heart disease than they exhibited in the year before the diagnosis. Among partners of patients with cancer, the type of cancer was associated with the extent and form of increased health care use and costs; both health care use and costs increased among partners of patients with liver cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer and miscellaneous other cancers. The risk of poorer health varied according to the type of cancer diagnosed, and appeared related to the severity and prognosis of that diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden.|Department of Oncology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: M-L
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9443-8473
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Möllerberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden.|Center for Collaborative Palliative Care, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sandgren
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lithman
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Noreen
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.|Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.|Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.|Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sjövall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006304:Health Status; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011379:Prognosis; D012042:Registries; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: cancer; health care costs; health care use; partner's health; population-based registry study