Cancer across the ages: a narrative review of caregiver burden for patients of all ages.

Problem Identification: Approximately 2.8 million Americans care for an individual with cancer. Because the literature typically describes caregiving experiences within patient age-groups (e.

Passages of cancer caregivers' unmet needs across 8 years.

Background: Identifying and addressing caregivers' unmet needs have been suggested as a way of reducing their distress and improving their quality of life. However, the needs of family cancer caregivers are complex in the period of long-term survivorship in particular because they may diverge as the patients' survivorship trajectory does, and that is what this study investigated.

Methods: Family cancer caregivers completed prospective, longitudinal surveys 2, 5, and 8 years after diagnosis (n = 633).

Fear of cancer recurrence promotes cancer screening behaviors among family caregivers of cancer survivors.

Background: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) has been associated with cancer screening behaviors among cancer survivors, but to the authors' knowledge, the question of whether the same is true for caregivers is unknown. The current study investigated the extent to which FCR among caregivers predicted their cancer screening behaviors years after their relatives' cancer diagnosis.

Methods: A total of 813 caregivers (67% of whom were female, mean age of 56 years, and 92% non-Hispanic white) completed surveys 2 years (T1) and 8 years (T2) after their patients' cancer diagnosis.

Bereaved Family Cancer Caregivers' Unmet Needs: Measure Development and Validation.

Purpose/background: Accumulating evidence shows that bereaved family caregivers report elevated distress for an extended period, which compromises their quality of life. A first step in the development of programs to enhance bereaved caregivers' quality of life should be determining the needs they experience to manage the loss, and the needs that are not being satisfied. Thus, this study aimed to develop a new measure to assess unmet needs among bereaved family caregivers.

Equitably improving outcomes for cancer survivors and supporting caregivers: A blueprint for care delivery, research, education, and policy.

Cancer care delivery is being shaped by growing numbers of cancer survivors coupled with provider shortages, rising costs of primary treatment and follow-up care, significant survivorship health disparities, increased reliance on informal caregivers, and the transition to value-based care. These factors create a compelling need to provide coordinated, comprehensive, personalized care for cancer survivors in ways that meet survivors' and caregivers' unique needs while minimizing the impact of provider shortages and controlling costs for health care systems, survivors, and families. The authors reviewed research identifying and addressing the needs of cancer survivors and caregivers and used this synthesis to create a set of critical priorities for care delivery, research, education, and policy to equitably improve survivor outcomes and support caregivers.

Preloss Spirituality Predicts Postloss Distress of Bereaved Cancer Caregivers.

Background: Although spirituality has been identified as a psychological resource relevant to coping with caregiving stress, little is known about the differential roles of spirituality's facets in bereaved caregivers' adjustment.

Purpose: This study examined this question with regard to bereavement-specific and general distress in cancer caregivers.

Methods: Cancer caregivers provided data at 2 years after their relative's diagnosis when all the patients were alive (Time 1, preloss) and 3 years later, after the patient had died (Time 2, postloss: N = 128).

Depressive symptoms predict cancer caregivers' physical health decline.

Background: Cancer caregiving has been associated with worsening health among caregivers themselves, yet demographic and psychosocial predictors of their long-term health decline are less known. This study examines changes in caregivers' physical health 2 to 8 years after their family members' cancer diagnosis and prospective predictors of that change.

Methods: Caregivers (n = 664; mean age, 53.

Effects of caregiving status and changes in depressive symptoms on development of physical morbidity among long-term cancer caregivers.

Objective: Cancer caregiving burden is known to vary across the survivorship trajectory and has been linked with caregivers' subsequent health impairment. Little is known, however, regarding how risk factors during long-term survivorship relate to vulnerability to caregivers' health during that period. This study examined effects of caregiving status and depressive symptoms on development of physical morbidity by 5 years postdiagnosis.

Gender differences in associations between cancer-related problems and relationship dissolution among cancer survivors.

Purpose: Research suggests that a cancer diagnosis predicts marital dissolution more strongly for women survivors than men, but there is a paucity of research on potential processes underlying this vulnerability. The present cross-sectional study examined whether specific cancer-related problems were associated with the odds of relationship breakup following diagnosis and whether these relationships differed between male and female cancer survivors.

Methods: A national cross-sectional quality of life study assessed self-reported cancer-related problems and relationship change among survivors who were either 2, 6, or 10 years post-diagnosis (n = 6099).

Health information needs and preferences in relation to survivorship care plans of long-term cancer survivors in the American Cancer Society's Study of Cancer Survivors-I.

Purpose: Survivorship care plans (SCPs) provide cancer patients and health care providers with a treatment summary and outline of recommended medical follow-up. Few studies have investigated the information needs and preferred sources among long-term cancer survivors.

Methods: Cancer survivors of the ten most common cancers enrolled in the longitudinal Study of Cancer Survivors-I (SCS-I) completed a survey 9 years post-diagnosis (n = 3138); at time of diagnosis of the SCS-I cohort, SCPs were not considered usual care.

Role of family caregivers' self-perceived preparedness for the death of the cancer patient in long-term adjustment to bereavement.

Background: A substantial number of family caregivers go through bereavement because of cancer, but little is known about the bereaved caregivers' long-term adjustment. This study aimed to document levels of bereavement outcomes (prolonged grief symptoms, intense emotional reaction to the loss, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction) among family cancer caregivers 3-5 years post-loss and to investigate how self-rated preparedness for the patient's death predicted those bereavement outcomes.

Methods: Family members participated in a nationwide survey for cancer caregivers 2 years after the relative's diagnosis (T1).

American Cancer Society/American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Guideline.

The purpose of the American Cancer Society/American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Guideline is to provide recommendations to assist primary care and other clinicians in the care of female adult survivors of breast cancer. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using PubMed through April 2015. A multidisciplinary expert workgroup with expertise in primary care, gynecology, surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and nursing was formed and tasked with drafting the Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Guideline.

American Cancer Society/American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Guideline.

Answer questions and earn CME/CNE The purpose of the American Cancer Society/American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Guideline is to provide recommendations to assist primary care and other clinicians in the care of female adult survivors of breast cancer. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using PubMed through April 2015. A multidisciplinary expert workgroup with expertise in primary care, gynecology, surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and nursing was formed and tasked with drafting the Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Guideline.

American Cancer Society Colorectal Cancer Survivorship Care Guidelines.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women and second leading cause of cancer death when men and women are combined in the United States (US). Almost two-thirds of CRC survivors are living 5 years after diagnosis. Considering the recent decline in both incidence and mortality, the prevalence of CRC survivors is likely to increase dramatically over the coming decades with the increase in rates of CRC screening, further advances in early detection and treatment and the aging and growth of the US population.

Quality of life of family caregivers 8 years after a relative's cancer diagnosis: follow-up of the National Quality of Life Survey for Caregivers.

Background: The long-term impact of cancer caregiving on the family caregivers' quality of life (QOL) is currently not known. This study aimed (a) to characterize family caregivers of cancer survivors at 8 years post-diagnosis in terms of multidimensional aspects of QOL and (b) to identify demographic and early caregiving experience characteristics that may play significant roles in predicting the caregivers' longer-term QOL.

Methods: A total of 1087 caregivers participated in the 8-year follow-up National Quality of Life Survey for Caregivers.

Caregiving Motivation Predicts Long-Term Spirituality and Quality of Life of the Caregivers.

Background: Studies have shown that caregivers report impaired quality of life (QOL). This study investigated how caregiving motives predict long-term spirituality and QOL among cancer caregivers and the role of gender in these associations.

Method: Caregiving motives of family members (n = 369) were measured 2 years after their relative's cancer diagnosis (T1), and both spirituality and QOL (mental and physical health) were measured at 5 years postdiagnosis (T2).

Cancer caregiving predicts physical impairments: roles of earlier caregiving stress and being a spousal caregiver.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate associations between earlier caregiving experience and the development of physical impairments over the subsequent 6 years among family caregivers of patients with cancer.

Methods: Family caregivers of cancer survivors participated in a nationwide survey 2 years after their relative's cancer diagnosis (T1) (N=1517) with follow-up at 5 years (T2) and 8 years (T3) postdiagnosis. Caregivers self-reported their demographics and levels of caregiving stress at T1.

Caregiving experiences predict changes in spiritual well-being among family caregivers of cancer patients.

Objective: Although enhanced spiritual well-being has been linked to positive mental health outcomes among family caregivers of cancer patients, little is known regarding predictors of spiritual well-being in this population. The current study aimed to examine caregiving experiences as predictors of change in family caregivers' spiritual well-being during the initial months following the patient's cancer diagnosis.

Methods: Seventy family caregivers of newly diagnosed cancer patients (74% female, mean age = 59 years) participated in this longitudinal survey.

Prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among cancer caregivers 5 years after the relative's cancer diagnosis.

Objective: Few studies address the longer term psychological adjustment of family caregivers who provide care to a relative with cancer. This study aimed to document levels of depressive symptoms among caregivers 5 years after their relative's initial diagnosis and to identify psychosocial factors that may prospectively predict caregivers' depressive symptoms at that time.

Method: Cancer caregivers participated in a prospective longitudinal study (N = 416; mean age = 55, 65.

Finding benefit in bereavement among family cancer caregivers.

Background And Objective: Even though cancer is the second most common cause of death, little is known about the extent to which family caregivers find meaning and benefit in the loss, and associated demographic characteristics and caregiving experiences. This study addressed this gap in our knowledge.

Design And Subjects: Family caregivers participated in a nationwide survey for cancer caregivers two years after the relative's diagnosis (T1).

Self-reported medical morbidity among informal caregivers of chronic illness: the case of cancer.

Purpose: Informal care provided by family and friends of patients with chronic illness, such as cancer, makes an invaluable contribution to the medical system and to society, yet it also imposes challenges that result in increased morbidity and mortality of the caregivers. Researchers studying this topic confront major difficulties in acquiring information about caregivers' morbidity from medical records, a procedure that is costly and time consuming.

Methods: As an alternative, we developed a brief self-administered measure of morbid conditions for informal caregivers of persons with medical illness.

Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2012.

Although there has been considerable progress in reducing cancer incidence in the United States, the number of cancer survivors continues to increase due to the aging and growth of the population and improvements in survival rates. As a result, it is increasingly important to understand the unique medical and psychosocial needs of survivors and be aware of resources that can assist patients, caregivers, and health care providers in navigating the various phases of cancer survivorship. To highlight the challenges and opportunities to serve these survivors, the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute estimated the prevalence of cancer survivors on January 1, 2012 and January 1, 2022, by cancer site.