Psychological and cardio illnesses appear to be happening more often in people who have a loved one undergoing cancer treatment, according to new research. — CHRISTIN KLOSE/dpa
IT GOES without saying that a cancer diagnosis is traumatic and life-changing for the patient: the debilitating rounds of chemotherapy, the worry that metastasis will cripple vital organs, and, behind it all, the spectre of premature death.
But a cancer case in the family not only affects the person diagnosed, it adds to “risks of developing psychological and cardiovascular illnesses” among spouses, siblings, children and parents, with parents of children with cancer the most likely to suffer knock-on effects on their own health.
Mayo Clinic doctors and University of Utah researchers accessed hundreds of thousands of Utah medical records for patients and families with and without a cancer diagnosis and found that 7.1% of relatives and spouses were diagnosed with a psychological illness and 7.6% with a cardio illness within five years of a family member’s cancer diagnosis.
“Compared with controls (cancer-free families), they (family members of a cancer patient) had 10%, 5% and 4% higher risks of developing a psychological condition at one, three, and five years after a family member’s cancer diagnosis. They also had 28%, 16% and 14% higher risks of developing cardiovascular disease at one, three, and five years,” the team reported in a paper published by the American Cancer Society.
A cancer diagnosis “can be a stressful and traumatic experience for the entire family,” the researcher said, warning that stress can undermine cardiovascular as well as mental health.
“Distress, anxiety, and fear are common feelings for family members, especially spouses of patients with cancer,” the team said, advising that their findings make “increased clinical attention and support” necessary when it comes to reducing “harm to families caused by cancer.” – dpa
