Quality of life of caregivers of breast cancer patients: a cross-sectional evaluation.

This study provides the first evaluation of the CarerQoL in caregivers of Dutch breast cancer patients. Caregivers' happiness was associated with breast cancer patients' HRQoL. Our results can be used as reference values for future care-related quality of life evaluations. Breast cancer patients face many difficulties during their cancer journey and often need the support of their caregivers. Despite the fact that successfully providing informal care can have positive effects on caregivers' wellbeing, it may also have a negative impact on their quality of life. Monitoring the quality of life using a standardized questionnaire, such as the CarerQoL questionnaire, may result in early detection of possible quality of life issues. In this study, we evaluated 116 caregivers and found overall high CarerQoL scores. The scores showed a positive relation to the patients' quality of life. Lower CarerQoL scores at six months after surgery were found in caregivers of patients who received chemotherapy. Our research underlines the importance to include caregivers of breast cancer patients in clinical practice, provides reference values for future research, and the results can be used to manage the caregivers' expectations prior to treatment.