Background: Stress biomarkers are documented in neuro-oncology family caregivers, although those reported to date are not routinely assessed in primary care, limiting their clinical utility.

Objective: This secondary analysis explored the impact of an 8-week, nurse-caregiver collaborative problem-solving intervention on a clinically relevant biomarker (C-reactive protein [CRP]) in adult neuro-oncology family caregivers.

Interventions/methods: As part of a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a problem-solving intervention, CRP levels were obtained from 80 caregivers of persons with a primary malignant brain tumor at baseline and immediately following the intervention (intervention n = 57, control n = 23). Analysis used generalized linear modeling and evaluation of change in cardiac risk over time.

Results: Exploratory analysis found a significant (P < .03) time × group interaction; mean CRP in the intervention group decreased over time (mean = 1.11-0.88), whereas that in the control group increased over time (mean = 0.63-1.30). A higher number of caregivers in the control group (50%) had an increase in cardiovascular risk defined by CRP level compared with those in the intervention group (11%).

Conclusions: Results suggest CRP may be a clinically relevant measure of caregiver stress, which is readily used in primary care practice.

Implications for practice: Given the observed association between CRP levels and psychological stress among this cohort of neuro-oncology caregivers, primary care providers should consider incorporating CRP testing as part of routine assessments for caregiver health. This could facilitate early identification of heightened stress levels and associated cardiovascular risk, enabling timely interventions to support caregiver well-being.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02058745.

Keywords: Brain tumor; C-reactive protein; Caregiver; Family; Intervention; Neuro-oncology.

Copyright © 2025 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

背景：

神经肿瘤家庭护理人员中有记录的应激生物标志物，尽管迄今为止报道的这些生物标志物尚未在初级保健中常规评估，限制了其临床实用性。

目的：

这项二次分析探讨了一种为期8周的护士-护理者协作解决问题干预措施对成人神经肿瘤家庭护理人员相关临床重要生物标志物（C反应蛋白 [CRP]）的影响。

方法/干预措施：

作为评估解决问题干预效果的随机对照试验的一部分，从80名患有原发性恶性脑瘤患者的护理者那里在基线和干预后立即获取了CRP水平数据（干预组n = 57，对照组n = 23）。分析使用广义线性模型并评估了心脏风险随时间的变化。

结果：

探索性分析发现了一个显著的时间与组别交互作用(P 结论：

结果显示，CRP可能是衡量护理人员压力的相关临床测量指标，在初级保健实践中易于使用。

实践意义：

鉴于观察到该神经肿瘤护理者队列中CRP水平与心理应激之间的关联，初级保健提供者应考虑将CRP检测作为常规护理者健康评估的一部分。这有助于早期识别压力水平升高及相关的心血管风险，并及时采取措施支持护理者的福祉。

试验注册：

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02058745.

关键词：

脑肿瘤；C反应蛋白；护理者；家庭；干预措施；神经肿瘤。