Background
Oncological disease has an impact on the patient’s entire personal environment. Relatives, who simultaneously represent patients’ main supporters and also those persons most affected, are challenged to deal with stress and conquer burdens. Like the patient, their friends and relatives are usually confronted suddenly with the fragility and finite nature of life, as well as with disease, suffering, and pain. Despite this, they receive next to no professional support and only little attention within the treatment system.
Question
Which role do caregiving relatives adopt in the process of an oncological treatment and how can they be supported?
Materials and methods
For this purpose, a selective literature review was conducted. Combined with practical experiences with to the cancer-related duties and burdens of caregiving relatives, recommendations for dealing with relatives are described.
Results
Caregiving relatives of cancer patients seem to experience cancer-related distress equal to, or even more severely, than the patients themselves. At the same time, they have no clear defined role in the oncologist’s treatment scheme.
Conclusion
Caregiving relatives, as patients’ main supporters, do not receive sufficient attention in their hour of need, and appropriate support options are not addressed. Beside patient-centered, caregiving relative- or family-centered communication is necessary to reach a best practice in oncological treatment and support.