Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 2025, Vol.13, No.3, 145-153 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/cge 148 Studies show that paying attention to the care methods of both patients and their families at the same time can enable better communication and closer relationship between family members and patients. Family members can also be better prepared for care work, which is ultimately beneficial to both patients and their families (Ferrell and Wittenberg, 2017). Therefore, when designing a care model that involves family members, it is essential to consider the theory of social support so as to provide comprehensive care for cancer patients. 4 The Mechanism of Family Intervention 4.1 Enhance physical and mental rehabilitation and improve treatment compliance Family members' participation in cancer care is very helpful for both the physical recovery and the improvement of the patient's psychological state. Family members help administer medicine on time, manage symptoms and observe drug side effects. They can detect problems in time, control the condition and contribute to the improvement of the patient's physical condition (Eskes et al., 2020). With family members by their side to take care of them, patients will feel at ease and comfortable. This can also accelerate the recovery speed and make patients feel better overall (Eskes et al., 2020). Psychologically, family members will encourage patients, cheer them up, allow them to have more contact with the outside world, and help them cope with the psychological pressure brought by treatment. The support of family members can alleviate the anxiety and pain of patients and also make them more willing to cooperate with the treatment. Because of the support of their families, patients are more willing to follow the doctor's advice and attend follow-up appointments on time (Ullgren et al., 2018; But et al., 2025). 4.2 Provide emotional support to relieve patients' stress Emotional comfort from family members is an important support for cancer treatment, especially after the patient is discharged from the hospital. Family members' participation in the formulation and decision-making of nursing plans enables them to listen to patients' troubles and communicate well with them, so that patients no longer feel lonely (Kovman et al., 2022; Ellis-Smith et al., 2023). When patients are worried about cancer recurrence and unsure about recovery, the understanding and closeness of family members become particularly important (Figure 2) (Bu et al., 2025). Figure 2 Effects of family involvement interventions on FCR in women with breast cancer at postintervention (Adopted from Bu et al., 2025) Allowing family members and patients to confide their troubles to each other, combined with targeted education or counseling, can quickly relieve the patients' stress and reduce their fear of recurrence (Bu et al., 2025). The full accompaniment of family members during rehabilitation can not only reduce the stress of patients, but also enhance the relationship between family members and patients, laying a solid emotional foundation for subsequent care (Eskes et al., 2020). 4.3 Reduce the use of medical resources and lower the readmission rate The active participation of family members in the care of patients after discharge can make better use of medical resources and also reduce the situation of patients being hospitalized again. Family members help manage the patient's symptoms at home and know when to send the patient to the hospital. They do similar things to medical staff, so as to avoid unnecessary medical treatment and hospitalization for the patient. Family members can observe the patient's condition at any time, deal with changes promptly upon discovery, and reduce the risk of the condition deteriorating to the point where emergency treatment is required (Ullgren et al., 2018).
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