Psychosomatical study on five cases with oral cancer committing suicide Masatsugu Shimizu and Keiichiro Ono Abstract: The records of five oral cancer cases that committed suicide were studied psychosomatically. 4 were diagnosed as S. C. C. histologically and treated by oral surgeons and radiologists between 1959 1980 at the Uni. Hospital of Tokyo Medical and Dental University by Shimizu and others, and the remaining case was treated at a cancer center in Japan and the case history was examined for this study from the book written by the patient herself. The first case was a 50-year-old female with cancer of the upper left gum T4N1M0, which was treated with radiotherapy. Just one year later after the radiation, she committed suicide by jumping into a river, because of jaw pains due to tumor remains. The 2nd case was a 53-year-old male with cancer of the right cheek mucous membrane T3N2bM0, which was first treated with bleomycin, then with radiotherapy for 1. 5 years. After finishing radiotherapy successfully, the patient killed himself by hanging in the hospital due to the pain, although the tumor had clinically disappeared. The 3rd case was a 48-year-old female with cancer on the left side of the tongue T3NOMO. She was treated with interstitial radon seed radiation with success. After discharge from the hospital, she committed suicide by hanging herself at home afler complaining of pain and anxiety. The 4th case was a 55-year-old male with cancer on the right side of the tongue T3NlaMo. He was referred to the tumor conference, where the treating plan was decided to be radiotherapy. Before admission to the hospital, he killed himself by jumping into the Pacific Ocean from a ferryboat because he became pessimistic about the planned radiotherapy. The 5th case was a 59-year-old female novelist. She suffered from cancer on the right floor of the mouth and visited a cancer center, where a surgeon examined her and excised the tumor as a benign lesion. After that she was referred to the radiological department. The result of the radiotherapy was effective, but she thought her tumor would not disappear and hung herself at home due to severe mouth pain and great depression over the imagined future course of the tumor following the first failure of diagnosis and treatment. As causes of suicide by the patients with oral cancer, the side effect of pain during and after radio- Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Medical College of Oita (Chief : Prof. M. Shimizu)
therapy was pointed out at first, then the anxiety of the disease as cancer and distrust of the doctor played very important roles. For the future it should be stressed that we must not ignore these points as we examine and treat oral cancer patients. Key words: suicide, oral cancer, radiotherapy
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