[Dynamics of losses in the life history of a cancer patient]

Affective and social losses are frequently reported in the prodromic period of overt cancer. The aim of this paper is to determine bereavement in the life history of cancer patients, holding the hypothesis that early events could enhance stress produced by recent events. a) It was found that between 1 to 14 years of age, 60% (12/20) of hospitalized cancer patients of both sexes (Mean Age: Males 57.3, Females 49,5), having different cancer diagnosis, mainly in advanced stages, which were selected for psychotherapeutic assistance, had definitive parent losses with a statistically higher difference (p less than 0.0011) over healthy controls of people over 70 years old (Mean Age: Males 82.4, Females 79.1), with only 10% (2/20). Moreover, the same ratio was maintained in an additional sample of patients: 14/30 had parent loss in infancy. Patients also showed higher rates of mother absence compared with controls: the latter having only 5% (1/20), while the former had 50% (10/20). b) More frequent and tragic losses were detected in patients life history: 55% (11/20), than in controls: 20% (4/20). c) It was found that 65% (13/20) of patients had affective losses in the period 5 years previous to the rise of cancer symptoms, that in fact could be related symbolically with early bereavement: 6/7 patients that showed losses of their couple in this lapse, had definitive losses or disappointment of their parents in their infancy. d) In order to establish a effect of bereavement upon the clinical course of cancer, the effect of deaths among other seriously ill patients in the same hospitalization Unit was studied. Statistical analysis using the X2 test showed that 50% of deaths of 49 male patients occurred within one year, had a space of 5 days or less between them, differing statistically (P less than 0.01) from a random distribution with deaths spaced 7.3 days, hence showing clustering instead of an homogeneous distribution. It is postulated that losses during the subclinical and clinical periods of cancer could operate as powerfull stressors, as they may relate psychologically to childhood bereavement and/or a frequent and tragic losses history.