| Variables | Means (SD) or numbers (%) | ||||||
| Hospital | |||||||
| Heiwa Hospital | 58 (56.9%) | ||||||
| Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR | 44 (43.1%) | ||||||
| Male spouse | 26 (25.5%) | ||||||
| Patient age (y), Mean (SD), [Min - Max] | 68.3 (8.6), [40-83] | ||||||
| 40 s and 50 s | 17 (16.7%) | ||||||
| 60 s | 30 (29.4%) | ||||||
| 70 s | 48 (47.1%) | ||||||
| 80 s | 7 (6.9%) | ||||||
| Spouse age (y), Mean (SD), [Min - Max] | 66.3 (7.8), [40-79] | ||||||
| 40 s and 50 s | 18 (17.6%) | ||||||
| 60 s | 45 (44.1%) | ||||||
| 70 s | 39 (38.2%) | ||||||
| Current cancer | |||||||
| Primary site of cancer1 (without multiple primary cancers) | 96 (94.1%) | ||||||
| Gastrointestinal cancer2 | 27 (26.5%) | ||||||
| Hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer3 | 21 (20.6%) | ||||||
| Thoracic cancer4 | 17 (16.7%) | ||||||
| Female-specific cancer5 | 15 (14.7%) | ||||||
| Head and neck cancer6 | 6 (5.9%) | ||||||
| Other cancers7 | 10 (9.8%) | ||||||
| Multiple primary cancers (multiple answers) | 6 (5.9%) | ||||||
| Previous cancer1 (multiple answers) | 17 (16.7%) | ||||||
| Gastrointestinal cancer8 | 12 (11.8%) | ||||||
| Other cancers9 | 9 (8.8%) | ||||||
| Previous Treatment (multiple answers) | |||||||
| Surgery | 59 (57.8%) | ||||||
| Chemotherapy | 90 (88.2%) | ||||||
| Radiation | 40 (39.2%) | ||||||
| Other pharmacotherapies10 | 16 (15.7%) | ||||||
| No treatment | 3 (2.9%) | ||||||
| Treatment Status | |||||||
| Under treatment | 2 (2.0%) | ||||||
| Treatment completed and stopped | 100 (98.0%) | ||||||
| Recurrence/metastasis | |||||||
| Yes | 94 (92.2%) | ||||||
| ECOG Performance status11 | |||||||
| PS 0 | 0 (0.0%) | ||||||
| PS 1 and 2 | 15 (14.7%) | ||||||
| PS 3 | 37 (36.3%) | ||||||
| PS 4 | 50 (49.0%) | ||||||
| Period between occurrence of cancer and the present time | |||||||
| Under 3 years | 62 (60.8%) | ||||||
| At least 3 but less than 6 years | 21 (20.6%) | ||||||
| 6 years and over | 19 (18.6%) | ||||||
| Disclosed prognosis to the spouse | |||||||
| 2 weeks or under | 36 (35.3%) | ||||||
| 1 month - 3 months | 49 (48.0%) | ||||||
| 4 - 6 months | 6 (5.9%) | ||||||
| Uninformed | 11 (10.8%) | ||||||
| Period between prognostic disclosure to the spouse and the present time |
| ||||||
| Under 2 weeks | 63 (61.8%) | ||||||
| At least 2 weeks but less than 3 months | 21 (20.6%) | ||||||
| 3 months and over | 7 (6.9%) | ||||||
| Uninformed | 11 (10.8%) | ||||||
| Child/Children | |||||||
| Yes | 90 (88.2%) | ||||||
| Number of children |
| ||||||
| N = 0 | 12 (11.8%) | ||||||
| N = 1 | 17 (16.7%) | ||||||
| N = 2 | 58 (56.9%) | ||||||
| N = 3 | 15 (14.7%) | ||||||
| Children’s ages (y) (multiple answers) | |||||||
| Under 20 s | 7 (6.9%) | ||||||
| 20 s and 30 s | 56 (54.9%) | ||||||
| 40 s and 50 s | 52 (51.0%) | ||||||
| No answer | 1 (1.0%) | ||||||
| Living together with a patient | 102 (100.0%) | ||||||
| Housemate other than a patient (multiple answers) | 43 (42.2%) | ||||||
| Child/Children | 38 (37.3%) | ||||||
| Grandchild/Grandchildren | 7 (6.9%) | ||||||
| Others12 | 9 (8.8%) | ||||||
| Spouse’s occupation | |||||||
| Full time job | 19 (18.6%) | ||||||
| Part time job | 16 (15.7%) | ||||||
| Homemaker | 39 (38.2%) | ||||||
| Retirement13 | 12 (11.8%) | ||||||
| Unemployed | 6 (5.9%) | ||||||
| Others14 | 10 (9.8%) | ||||||
| Spouse’s education | |||||||
| Junior high school | 5 (4.9%) | ||||||
| High school | 51 (50.0%) | ||||||
| Vocational school and junior college | 26 (25.5%) | ||||||
| Higher than a college degree | 18 (17.6%) | ||||||
| No answer | 2 (2.0%) | ||||||