NEW YORK, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- An overwhelming majority of cancer survivors say support is key to sticking with grueling treatment to save their lives but they rank support groups among the lowest sources of help and family or friends among the highest, according to a new national survey released today.

At the same time, while support groups are often led by a trained expert, most Americans (56 percent) say friends and family don't know how to offer effective support and most oncology nurses (60 percent) agree, according to the survey, which was sponsored by Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA).

"This survey spotlights the tragic gap between the kind of support that cancer patients feel is vital to undergo treatment and the help that loved ones feel qualified to give," said Katherine Puckett, director of Mind/Body Medicine at CTCA, a network of progressive cancer treatment hospitals and community oncology programs with an integrative approach.

The debate over support and cancer survival heated up several years ago with an attack on the long-held belief that support groups increased the survival rates of breast cancer patients. At the time, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University indicated that support groups may not help women who already get a lot of help and comfort from their loved ones, and might even hurt them by alienating them from their closest support givers(i).

In the CTCA study, support groups lag far behind family or friends as a source of emotional, knowledge or spiritual support. Meanwhile, support is essential to enduring rigorous medical treatment (rated 8,9, or 10 on 1-10 scale, with 10 labeled "extremely important"), according to 75 percent of the 500 cancer survivors in the CTCA study.

"A cancer patient is taking treatment constantly on the faith that it's going to work, even though you sometimes seem to be getting sicker due to the treatment. Support is vital to get you through that," said Vickie Girard, whose triumph over breast cancer required a partial mastectomy, removal of 21 lymph nodes and her ovaries, chemotherapy, two bone marrow transplants and open heart surgery. Girard, 50, of Columbiaville, Mich., is the author of "There's No Place Like Hope," a guide for cancer patients and their families.

William Dunleavy, a retired New York Port Authority police sergeant, agreed that support was essential to undergoing two surgeries and radiation on his head to fight melanoma. "It was pretty severe," said Dunleavy, 77, of Oakdale, Long Island, who also is now cancer free.

The CTCA survey also found that women with cancer were more likely than men with cancer to want support (82 percent vs. 68 percent).

Female cancer patients said they primarily get their emotional support from husbands (51 percent), daughters (40 percent) and female friends (37 percent), with support groups at 4 percent. Knowledge support comes from male doctors (69 percent), female doctors (19 percent), oncology nurses (18 percent) and female friends (15 percent), with support groups at 9 percent. Finally, spiritual support is derived from a priest/rabbi (52 percent), female friends (31 percent), husbands (22 percent) and daughters (18 percent), with support groups at l percent.

Girlfriends Can Be Lifesavers  

Interestingly, female cancer patients often see their girlfriends as lifesavers. They list girlfriends as their chief source of knowledge and spiritual support, after the "experts," such as clergy or medical personnel. When it comes to emotional support, girlfriends are named among the top support givers, after husbands and daughters but before sons (30 percent) and other family members (21 percent).

Male cancer patients said they get most of their emotional support from daughters (36 percent), wives (33 percent), sons (29 percent), with support groups amounting to less than 3 percent, the CTCA research indicated. Knowledge support comes from male doctors (71 percent), wives (15 percent), female doctors (13 percent) and oncology nurses (12 percent), with support groups at 6 percent. Lastly, spiritual support is from a priest/rabbi (51 percent), wife (45 percent), female friend (28 percent), and male friend (17 percent), with support groups at less than 1 percent.

Many Employers Offer Little/No Support  

Finally, while a vast majority of cancer survivors who worked during treatment found co-workers were supportive (82 percent), more than one third of employers (37 percent) offered little or no support in terms of easing their work situation (offering more flexible or reduced working hours, rest periods at work or even financial help), the CTCA survey showed.

Family and friends who are uncertain how to offer effective support can follow some basic tips, said Puckett.

• Give your loved one some control. For example, if a cancer patient wants to cook dinner but is feeling  weak, let her do it. The sense of  control gained from that simple task far outweighs her physical distress.
• Make room for all feelings. A cancer patient needs to be allowed to express all his feelings, especially the painful ones -- like sadness, anger, fear. Be open to it. Respond with interest and compassion.
• Listen, but don't push the person to talk. Be sure to follow the cancer patient's agenda rather than your own. If you need to talk about your own feelings, find a supportive person to respond to your needs.

More information, including a free booklet titled "Cancer Treatment Centers of America's Tips for Supporting Friends and Families With Cancer," is available at 800-931-9299 and at www.cancercenter.com .

Even when cancer is progressed to advanced stages, support is important to help increase the patient's quality of life, said Connie Payton, widow of legendary Chicago Bears player Walter Payton. "Your natural reaction to a loved one's cancer diagnosis may be surprisingly unsupportive. As a family, we learned ways to give support that really benefited Walter and allowed him to accomplish what he needed in his final months," said Payton, who with their two children sought support tips from oncology experts who cared for the Hall of Fame running back.

The random telephone survey of 500 cancer survivors, 200 oncology nurses and 1,071 members of the general public was conducted between September 12-25 by International Communications Research, Inc., (ICR) of Media, Pa. The margin of error among the general public is plus or minus 3 percent; among cancer patients is plus or minus 4 percent and among oncology nurses is plus or minus 7 percent.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is a private network of innovative cancer treatment hospitals and community oncology programs trusted and embraced by people living with advanced cancer. Driven by a vision to become the premier organization in the field, CTCA provides hope to patients by fighting their disease on all fronts: through leading-edge treatments and technologies, the best science-based complimentary medicine, community outreach and support services, and innovative cancer research. The network runs programs in Zion, Ill., Tulsa, Okla., Seattle, Wash., and Hampton Roads, Va.

(i)Helgeson, VS, Cohen, S., Schulz, R., Yasko, J., Group Support  
Interventions for Women With Breast Cancer: Who Benefits From What?,  
Health Psychology, March 2000, Vol. 19, No. 2, pgs. 107-114.
SOURCE  Cancer Treatment Centers of America  
CO:  Cancer Treatment Centers of America
ST:  New York, Illinois, Oklahoma, Washington, Virginia
SU:  SVY
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02/11/2003 07:00 EST