Media Contact: Nancy Stringer (619) 543-6163

Prostate cancer not only affects the patient, it can have a profound effect on the patient’s spouse or partner, and on the couple as a whole. Generally, men don’t seek support from friends or support groups; they rely on their partner. During months of treatment, the responsibilities of running the household may fall entirely to the spouse, creating an additional burden while she’s coping with fears about her partner’s illness. All of this comes at a time in life when the spouse may be experiencing health problems of her own.

Now researchers at UCSD Cancer Center have been awarded a $734,880 grant from the state Department of Health Services to train caregivers in specific stress management, coping and problem-solving skills, and then to evaluate the effectiveness of this training.

"Since prostate cancer incidence increases with age, the disease often affects men whose partners are older, placing added strain on the emotional and physical well being of both partners," said the study’s principal investigator, Georgia Robins Sadler, Ph.D., Associate Director of Outreach at UCSD Cancer Center. "Helping both to stay strong can improve the quality of life for the patient with prostate cancer, while helping to prevent the deterioration of his partner’s health."

Nearly 185,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, making it the most common cancer afflicting American men. It is the nation’s second leading cause of cancer death in men, claiming nearly 40,000 lives each year.

Sadler, who is also an associate professor of surgery at UCSD School of Medicine, said that a diagnosis of prostate cancer brings with it complex psychosocial issues for the caregiver.

"With many couples in this age group, there has been a traditional division of responsibilities," she said. "Now, not only are they dealing with an uncertain future, they also may be facing a temporary or permanent major reversal of roles. Perhaps for the first time in their relationship, the spouse or partner must become the principal decision-maker and may be ill-prepared for such issues as managing the family’s finances, dealing with their HMO, etc."

The 3-year state-funded study, which will involve 250 couples, grew out of an earlier pilot study funded through a $25,000 grant from the UCSD Cancer Center Foundation. The training program for caregivers was developed by study co-investigator James W. Varni, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at UCSD School of Medicine and director of the Psychosocial Research Program at Children’s Hospital and Health Center, San Diego. Sadler and Varni drew from the training program he developed at Children’s Hospital for mothers of children with cancer, and adapted it for partners of men with prostate cancer.

Other co-investigators on the study are Vanessa Malcarne, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at San Diego State University, and Joseph Schmidt, M.D., professor and chief of urology at UCSD School of Medicine.