The caregiver perspective: Advancing the understanding of cancer caregiving in the palliative care setting.

Background: 2018 data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology & End Results (SEER) Program estimates there are 15.5 million cancer survivors in the U.S. Throughout the care continuum, cancer caregivers provide invaluable support which greatly impacts and improves patient quality of life. In the palliative care setting caregiver support is vitally important, but many caregivers struggle to take care of their own needs and are not aware of supportive services. Our study explores the unmet needs of cancer caregivers in the palliative care setting.