LAUSR

BACKGROUND Family and other unpaid caregivers play an active role in the recovery of individuals with pancreatic and periampullary cancer after pancreatectomy. However, little is known about caregivers' experiences and how to better support them. METHODS Caregivers accompanying patients to one-month post-pancreatectomy visits at 3 hospitals completed an electronic survey between November 2018 - February 2020. We examine measures of absenteeism and work productivity loss among the subset of caregivers who reported working-for-pay, and comparatively assess caregiver experiences by employment status. All analyses were performed as 2-sided tests. RESULTS Of 265 caregivers approached for study participation, 240 (90.6%) enrolled. Caregivers were primarily female (70.8% female, 29.2% male) and spouses (58.3%), or adult children (25.8%) of patients, with a median age of 60 years. Of the 240 caregivers included in the study, 107 (44.6%) worked for pay. Nearly half (44.4%) of working caregivers reported being absent from work due to caregiving amounting to a 14% loss in work hours. While at work, 58.9% of working caregivers reported increased work difficulty due to caregiving. Taken together, an estimated 59.7% loss in work productivity was experienced due to caregiving in the month following pancreatectomy. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, working (vs non-working) caregivers reported increased financial (OR = 2.32, p = 0.04) and emotional (OR = 1.93, p = 0.04) difficulties, and daily activity restrictions (OR = 1.85, p = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS Working caregivers of patients with pancreatic and periampullary cancer experience negative impacts on work and productivity, and caregiving-related financial and emotional difficulties may be amplified. This study highlights the need for workplace policies to support unpaid cancer caregiving.