Assessing the patient-caregiver dyad to inform integrative cancer care in Latinos diagnosed with colorectal cancer

Decision-making during cancer treatment is often complex and many patients are physically and emotionally less able to make medical decisions on their own. Thus, patients will often involve a primary support person or caregiver in their care. We are conducting a population-based study of 2,500 Hispanic/Latino patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) in the state of California. Telephone and in-person interviews including the Perceived Stress Scale, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale and Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory were administered to patients and their caregiver. Preliminary results indicate that the majority of caregivers are family members of the patient. Over 90% of participants had children, of whom 25% were over age 50 and another 33% were over age 21, indicating a population that can benefit from targeted cancer prevention and screening programs. 100% of caregivers expressed interest in participating in a program to increase their knowledge of CRC. 80% of caregivers showed normal levels of stress, indicating that they may be psychologically available and healthy enough to assist their family member undergoing CRC treatment. High levels of fatigue and reduced attention were apparent in CRC patients and some caregivers. We observed a high level of integrative medicine use (37.5% among patients and 58.3% among caregivers). These findings support the development of integrative programs that focus on both the CRC patient and a patient’s caregiver to facilitate the exchange of health knowledge, informed decision-making, and health behavior change in their family members, who are at higher risk of colorectal cancer in the future.