PURPOSE: The psychological burden induced by brain tumor is profound both for 
the sick person and for their own family. This particular tumor not only impacts 
patients' quality of life, but also reduces seriously the caregivers' quality of 
life. We aim to describe brain tumor patients and their caregivers' quality of 
life during the illness and assess the existing relation between clinical and 
psychological features of patients and their caregivers.
METHODS: The study involved 72 patients/caregivers couples. We used the 
following tools: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Functional 
Assessment of Cancer Therapy--Brain (FACT-Br) for patients and HADS, Caregiver 
Reaction Assessment Scale (CRA), 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) for 
caregivers.
RESULTS: Quality of life was more compromised in caregivers than in their loved 
ones. The impairment of caregivers' quality of life appeared mainly in a 
significant reduction in their mental health. Most caregivers experienced more 
depressive and anxiety symptoms, as compared with patients. Clinical and 
psychological features of patients did not correlate with psychological patterns 
of their own caregivers.
CONCLUSIONS: It is important to give caregivers appropriate help, care and 
support. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor and treat, if necessary, 
caregivers' anxious or depressive symptomatology that impacts their quality of 
life, making them more helpless, frustrated and less able to handle the 
situation of disease and caregiving situation. It would be desirable to give 
caregivers the possibility of a psychological support and equally important 
would be a continuous teamwork aimed to promote a better caregivers' adaptation 
to the patient's illness.