Receiving a cancer diagnosis not only affects the patient, but has a profound impact on those around them. When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, the lives of their close family members change radically. Emotional demands, financial stress and care responsibilities transform family dynamics, affecting them emotionally and physically. Distress, anxiety and fear are common feelings in family members, especially in spouses of cancer patients.
Although previous research has documented psychological distress among family members of cancer patients, the long-term effects on the cardiovascular and mental health of these family members have not been explored in detail until now. A recent study conducted in Utah and published in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, has shed light on how first-degree relatives and spouses of patients diagnosed with genitourinary (GU) cancer suffer significant consequences in their psychological and cardiovascular health.
An elevated risk of psychological and cardiovascular disease
The retrospective study focused on a significant cohort of nearly 80,000 family members and spouses of patients diagnosed with GU cancer between 1990 and 2015, comparing their health outcomes with those of a control group, drawing on the Utah population database. The findings were striking: in the first year after a family member was diagnosed with cancer, the risk of developing a psychological illness increased by 10%, and that of suffering from cardiovascular disease by 28%. These risks persist, although with less intensity, in subsequent years.
This health impact is especially worrying for parents of children diagnosed with cancer, who face a four-fold increased risk of developing psychological or cardiovascular problems. Emotional and physical proximity to the patient seems to play a key role, since closest relatives are more likely to develop these problems.
In the first year after a family member was diagnosed with cancer, the risk of developing a psychological disorder increased by 10%, and that of suffering from cardiovascular disease by 28%.
Not all types of GU cancer generate the same level of stress in family members. The study found that kidney and bladder cancer diagnoses are associated with higher levels of stress and, therefore, a higher risk of developing comorbidities. In contrast, testicular cancer seems to have a lesser impact on the health of family members.
Urgent need for comprehensive support for family members
Although the study has provided a solid foundation for understanding the reverberant effects of cancer on family members, it has its limitations. The population studied, mostly of white origin, limits the generalization of the results to other ethnicities. Additionally, the study focused exclusively on genitourinary cancer, so the results could differ with other types of cancer. It is also important to note that family members of patients in Utah, being more connected to the local health system, could have had more opportunities to be diagnosed with psychological or cardiovascular diseases.
This study marks an important first step in understanding the impact of cancer on family members’ health, but much remains to be done. Racial and ethnic diversity in future studies could provide a more complete picture, and it will be crucial to evaluate how different types of cancer affect family members in different contexts.
Cancer, beyond being a devastating disease for those who suffer from it, deeply affects their loved ones. The findings of this study underscore the urgent need for psychological and clinical support for family members of cancer patients. Cancer clinics should consider interventions aimed not only at the patient, but also at family members, to mitigate the invisible side effects that cancer causes in their immediate environment.
