Challenges and support for family caregivers of glioma patients

Glioma patients are not only confronted with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, but often experience disease-specific symptoms that greatly affect everyday life. Common symptoms among patients include motor dysfunction, sensory loss, seizures, cognitive deficits, changes in behaviour and personality, mood issues, and fatigue. This review focuses on family caregivers, for whom dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of a brain tumour in their loved one while managing disease-specific symptoms can be challenging. Supportive interventions to assist caregivers have been reported, but high quality scientific evidence for the effectiveness of these programs is largely lacking. Further research is needed to determine how we can best support family caregivers to manage glioma patients' symptoms while maintaining their own health as a caregiver. Research is also required in evaluating the health economic benefits of support programs for caregivers, as better care for caregivers may potentially reduce overall healthcare costs.