P01.016 Caregiver Burden and Distress in Newly Diagnosed Gliomas: A Prospective Analysis

Abstract Background Understanding the caregiver experience in gliomas is critical due to cognitive dysfunction and physical dependence. Caregiver burden, quality of life and distress for this population is not well described. Material and Methods We performed an IRB-approved prospective study of 100 caregivers of patients with newly diagnosed gliomas enrolled over 2.5 years at a single academic institution. Caregivers were defined as individuals responsible for any aspect of patient support. Caregivers completed the Caregiver Quality of Life in Cancer (CQOLC) survey and questions about time required for patient care at 3 time points: initial diagnosis, 3 mo. and 6 mo. post-diagnosis. We described change in overall caregiver distress (CQOLC) and time spent on patient care, and also described the association between CQOLC scores and time required for patient care. Results 76/100 caregivers completed a survey for at least 1 time point: 65/100 at initial diagnosis, 43/100 at 3 mo. and 37/100 at 6 mo. The 76 caregivers (56 female) included 50 spouses, 13 children, 8 parents, 3 siblings and 2 friends. 58 were primary caregivers. Patients’ diagnoses included: 60 glioblastoma, 12 anaplastic astrocytoma, and 4 low grade glioma. Mean CQOLC scores did not significantly change from initial diagnosis (55.9) to 3 mo. (52.8) and 6 mo. (59.7) post-diagnosis (p-value = 0.56, 0.28, and 0.22 respectively). The proportion of caregivers spending >20 hrs/week on direct patient care did not significantly change from initial diagnosis (50%) to 3 mo. (47%) and 6 mo. (43%) post-diagnosis (p-value = 0.76, 0.50, and 0.66 respectively). At initial diagnosis, caregivers who spent >20 hrs/week on direct patient care had a significantly higher distress score on the CQOLC than those who spent