Implications of social isolation during cancer treatment. The implications of residence away from home during cancer treatment on patients' experiences: a comparative study.

With the centralisation and specialisation of cancer services, patients may have to travel considerable distances and stay away from their homes during treatment. This paper describes a comparative study that sought to identify the effects on patients of receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy away from their homes, families and social support networks. Eighty four cancer patients treated in Southampton (42 from Guernsey and 42 from Southampton) agreed to participate in a structured interview and a standardised measure of social support. There were few differences in terms of satisfaction with services between Guernsey patients who stayed away from home during treatment and Southampton patients who lived at home. Counter-intuitively, Guernsey patients perceived themselves to have better social support.