Social support for patients with advanced cancer

Background: A sense of social support has an important role in the adaptation process to advanced cancer, as well as in alleviating somatic symptoms. This study aimed to assess the sense of social support among patients receiving palliative care and its impact on the intensity of symptoms accompanying cancer and the coping strategies studied. Patients and methods: The study was conducted at the University Hospital and St. Lazarus Hospice in Kraków. It involved 80 patients aged 29 to 88. Three standardized tools were used in the study: the Illness Support Scale, Mini-MAC, and ESAS-r. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The level of perceived social support was moderately high and relatively evenly distributed among different types of support. Statistically significant correlations were found between higher levels of support and lower symptom severity (pain, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, depression) and more constructive psychological coping strategies. The relationships between perceived support and age, gender, education, place of residence, and marital status were few and mostly statistically insignificant. Conclusions: Social support plays an important role in symptom alleviation and psychological adaptation among patients with advanced cancer. Further expansion of support systems in palliative care and continued research in this area are recommended.