No abstract

The diagnosis of cancer affects not only the lives of patients, but also the lives of their family members. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of oral cancer on quality of life (QoL), psychological distress and marital satisfaction in a sample of patients and their wives. Thirty-one men treated for oral cancer (mean time since diagnosis 3.7 years) and their female partners (n = 31) were assessed by questionnaires with regard to QoL (WHOQOL-BREF), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), quality of relationship (Dyadic Adjustment Scale, DAS) and physical complaints (EORTC QOL-H&N35). Quality of life was remarkably high in patients and their partners. In patients, lower QoL was associated with more physical complaints and higher levels of psychological distress (HADS), whereas in wives, QoL was found to be related to marital quality (DAS) and levels of distress. In couples with highly discrepant ratings of marital satisfaction, wives reported more psychological distress. The findings indicate that overall QoL is considerably high in patients treated for oral cancer and their partners living in stable relationships. Quality of life correlates stronger with the quality of relationship in spouses than in patients. Generally, marital satisfaction appears to be an important moderating factor regarding QoL and psychological distress.

No abstract

Although the majority of the patients experienced considerable improvements in physical health after transplantation, they simultaneously reported that they were suffering from physical complaints, fear of organ rejection and infections, medication adverse effects, and restrictions in everyday life. For patients, lung transplantation therefore often means replacing one disease with another. Healthcare providers are challenged to support patients in dealing with this unresolvable dilemma.