The Complexity of Cancer in Multiple Family Members: Dynamics of Social Work Collaboration

This article presents a case study of one family affected by a cancer diagnosis in both the father and the daughter, who were diagnosed within the same time interval and who underwent treatment at the same time. The article examines the relationship between the caregivers and the oncology patient as well as with one another when the stress of diagnosis is compounded by multiple, simultaneous, and similar diagnoses in a highly condensed period of time. A thorough examination of the literature reveals that there are significant gaps regarding how multiple cancer diagnoses in one family affect the family dynamic, individual and collective coping styles, and caregiver burden. The diagnoses can also dramatically exacerbate economic stressors in a family. The coordination of psychosocial care from the perspectives of the adult and pediatric oncology social workers at an urban academic medical center will be discussed. The social work role, importance of collaboration, and family centered care perspective will be discussed as a method of easing the treatment experience for families in psychosocial distress.