Caregiver Support in the Quality of Life of Patients Who Are Undergoing Donor Bone Marrow Transplantation

Survival in Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation: The Relative Importance of Inpatient Lay Care-Partner Support

RATIONALE: Questionnaires that measure quality-of-life may improve the health care team's ability to plan supportive care for patients undergoing donor bone marrow transplantation.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying quality of life in patients who are undergoing donor bone marrow transplantation.

OBJECTIVES:

• Investigate the relative importance of having a consistent inpatient lay care-partner for patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

OUTLINE: Patients complete a 30-minute quality of life questionnaire in order to measure their psychosocial health while in the bone marrow transplant program, including Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT), Profile of Mood State (POMS), and Brief COPE questionnaires, at the baseline (pre-transplant) appointment, at the first physician's visit after discharge, at day 100 post-transplant, and then at 6 months and 1 year post-transplant. Caregivers complete a 30-minute coping questionnaire at the pre-transplant appointment, at the first physician's visit after discharge, and then at day 100 post-transplant. Caregivers also keep a weekly log of the time spent with the patient in the hospital.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 150 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Must be a candidate for allogeneic unrelated or related stem cell transplantation

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Both patient and lay care-partner must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Not specified