RECOGNIZING CANCER AS A FAMILY DISEASE - WORRIES AND SUPPORT REPORTEDBY PATIENTS AND SPOUSES

Data were obtained via mailed questionnaire from 91 adults with cancer and 78 spouses of adults with cancer. Findings suggest that spouses a nd patients worry equally about their own personal health, and that sp ouses worry more about patients' futures than the patients do themselv es. In addition, spouses and patients report participating equally in the treatment process, yet patients report receiving significantly mor e social support than do spouses. The results point to the need for ex panded attention to the concept of cancer as a ''family disease,'' wit h special emphasis on the unique and often neglected experience of spo uses of adult cancer patients.