When a parent has cancer: challenges to patients, their families and health providers

Abstract

At least 14% of cancer patients live with minor children. Being a parent with cancer has far-reaching consequences for individual treatment decision-making and quality of life in patients and their families. Even though the majority of children and adolescents do not show clinically relevant symptoms of psychopathology, worries about the survival of the parent and the future development of the family are present, and experienced as distressing, in most children. Open communication by parents and clinicians has been found to be of major importance for children and adolescents in adjusting to parental cancer. Support for parents with cancer on relevant parenting issues, starting in the diagnostic phase, should be acknowledged as an important facet of cancer care to reduce the psychosocial burden for cancer patients and their families.