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Published on: October 23, 2020
Cancer incidence and survival following bereavement
1Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA. itzhak.levav@moh.health.gov.il
American Journal of Public Health
|October 13, 2000
Summary
Parental bereavement due to war or accidents increased cancer risk, particularly for lymphatic, hematopoietic, and melanoma types. Stress from losing a child accelerated death if cancer was diagnosed before the loss.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Oncology
- Psychosocial Medicine
Background:
- Parental bereavement is a significant stressor.
- The impact of profound grief on physical health, specifically cancer incidence and survival, requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between parental bereavement and cancer incidence.
- To examine the effect of parental bereavement on cancer survival rates.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 6,284 bereaved Israeli parents was followed for 20 years.
- Cancer incidence was compared between bereaved parents and non-bereaved individuals using logistic regression.
- Cancer survival in bereaved parents was compared with matched controls.
Main Results:
- Bereaved parents showed increased incidence of lymphatic and hematopoietic malignancies (OR=2.01 for accident victims, OR=1.47 for war victims).
- Increased melanoma incidence was observed in both groups (OR=4.62 and OR=1.71).
- Bereavement before cancer diagnosis did not affect survival, but bereavement after diagnosis increased mortality risk.
Conclusions:
- Parental bereavement is linked to increased incidence of specific cancers, suggesting stress-related mechanisms.
- The timing of bereavement relative to cancer diagnosis significantly impacts survival outcomes, with post-diagnosis loss accelerating demise.
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