Abstract B081: Caring for the Caregivers: Characteristics and challenges faced by caregivers of Latino Californians with rectal cancer

Abstract Background/Purpose: Caregivers often face physical, psychological, and financial burdens when caring for people with cancer. Caregivers of Hispanic/Latino (HL) patients with cancer are often informal caregivers, such as families and friends, reflecting the traditional cultural value of familismo. While many studies acknowledge the impact of cultural differences on caregiving and caregiver burden, our understanding of the specific barriers HL patients with rectal cancer and their caregivers encounter is limited. The aim of this study was to explore the unique challenges, experiences, and perspectives of individuals caring for HL patients with rectal cancer in ways that could inform future interventions. Methods/Study population: We conducted semi-structured interviews of Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley HL patients with past or current rectal cancer in English and/or Spanish based on participant preference. We partnered with Visión y Compromiso, a promotores and community health worker organization, and developed a community advisory board to help refine our interview guide and interpret our results. We encouraged patients to identify and include someone who helped care for them during their treatment, but intentionally did not define caregiver in any other way. Over six months, we interviewed a total of 17 patients and eight caregivers and used reflexive thematic analysis to identify themes from their shared experiences using interview transcripts in NVivo 14. Results: Sixteen of seventeen interviews identified family members including spouses, sons, brothers, and friends as primary caregivers. Identified themes include (1) roles informal caregivers undertake for transportation, daily activities, and healthcare management; (2) limitations in utilizing social workers as a resource due to a knowledge gap and language barriers; (3) personal financial burden from supporting patients and navigating through available resources, and (4) psychosocial impacts resulting from role overload as an advocate, a translator, and a caregiver. Conclusion: In supporting cancer patients, caregivers wear many hats. While many caregivers share similar burdens, informal caregivers experience added emotional stress from unexpectedly assuming new responsibilities. Specific to rectal cancer care, caregivers are often tasked with aiding in ostomy bag changes and navigating the multidisciplinary treatment teams. Furthermore, HL patients and their caregivers face unique challenges due to language barriers, such as the burden of translation and delivering news. Understanding the caregiver burden among HL patients with rectal cancer is crucial in enhancing cancer treatment and care, creating culturally relevant resources, and reducing cancer outcome disparities faced by HL communities. Citation Format: Min Young Kim, Julian P. Howland, Eleanor Brown, Lucas K. Carpenter, Patricia Castañeda, Maria Gonzalez, Miriam T. Hernandez, Zaria N. Cosby, Kristen M. Davis-Lopez, Ysabel Duron, Gladys M. Rodriguez, Sandra S. Zaky, Arden M. Morris, Aaron J. Dawes. Caring for the Caregivers: Characteristics and challenges faced by caregivers of Latino Californians with rectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B081.