Cancer patients and their network: the meaning of the social network and social interactions for quality of life.

A lot of research is carried out on the subject of social relations and quality of life. One should find at least some indication for an association between the social environment and quality of life of cancer patients; will interventions be appropriate and well-considered? But until now, less has been known about the association between the social network of cancer patients and their quality of life. In this study, the way in which the patients' network can effect their quality of life is examined. Two patient groups are distinguished: a group of cancer patients recently treated for their cancer by surgery and a group treated by chemotherapy (n = 108 and n = 109) and these are compared with a disease-free group of cancer patients (n = 192). Although an association between network, social relations and quality of life is found, only a small part of the variation in quality of life can be explained by this social component. It seems that the cancer itself and the cancer treatment mainly affect the patients' quality of life and that the impact of the social environment is less significant.