Originally published as JCO Early Release 10.1200/JCO.2008.21.6788 on August 31 2009

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Influence on the Health of the Partner Affected by Tumor Disease in the Wife or Husband Based on a Population-Based Register Study of Cancer in Sweden

Katarina Sjövall, Bo Attner, Thor Lithman, Dennis Noreen, Barbro Gunnars, Bibbi Thomé, Håkan Olsson

From the Departments of Oncology and Cancer Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences; and Lund Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Corresponding author: Katarina Sjövall, RN, Department of Oncology, University Hospital, S-221 85 Lund, Sweden; e-mail: katarina.o.sjovall{at}skane.se.

Purpose To examine health care use and health care costs among partners of persons with cancer.

Patients and Methods Partners of patients with colon, rectal, lung, breast, and prostate cancer (N = 11,076) were identified via linked data from the Tumor Registry of Southern Sweden and Census Registry of Sweden. Health care use, total costs of health care, and diagnosis of the partner were studied before and after diagnosis of the cancer patient.

Results Health care use for partners increased in terms of in-patient care after the cancer diagnosis. A significant increase was seen the second year for partners of patients with colon cancer (risk ratio [RR], 1.55; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.87) and lung cancer (RR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.79). Psychiatric diagnoses increased after the cancer diagnosis in the total sample, with a significant increase for partners of colon (RR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.71 to 4.22), lung (RR, 3.16; 95% CI, 2.23 to 4.57), and prostate cancer patients (RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.15). Costs of care increased more than the consumer price index the two years after the cancer diagnosis. Costs of care increased most for male partners and especially for younger male partners (age 25 to 64 years) of patients with colon, rectal, and lung cancers.

Conclusion The results showed increased health care costs and an increase in psychiatric diagnoses after the cancer diagnosis among partners of cancer patients. Further research is needed to learn more about the situation of the partner and to identify persons at risk of psychiatric morbidity. Knowledge is also needed on how to support the partner in the most efficient way.

K.S. and B.A. contributed equally to this study as first authors.

Supported by grants from the Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lund, and the Southern Regional Care Committee in South Sweden.

Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and author contributions are found at the end of this article.

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