Caregiver Burden Among Informal Caregivers of Women with Breast Cancer

BackgroundBreast cancer is the most common cancer, and the leading cause of cancer death among women globally [1].In 2018, there are over 2 million new breast cancer cases globally and 24.2% of all types of cancers; 54,900 new cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom (UK), 330,080 in the United State of America (USA), [2].The incidence rate ranges from 29.3 per 100,000 people in North Africa to 22.4 per 100 000 in Sub-Saharan Africa [3,4].The number of new cases and mortality rate from breast cancer is a result of population growth and increased life-span in both high-and low-income countries [5].Before now, breast cancer is considered to be a disease of affluence that affects the developed countries but has now cut across all socioeconomic levels with burden more in developing countries such as Nigeria [6].The increasing incidence of breast cancer in Nigeria and the paucity of the specialist man-power and structural facilities imply that the caregiving burden rests mostly on family caregivers/informal caregivers.Breast cancer presents a typical picture of the enormity of cancer burden on the Nigerian nation [7].Breast cancer affects not just those who have the disease but also their informal caregivers who provide care.The informal caregivers perform many activities that used to be done in the health facilities by health workers [8]; they can help in drugs administration, counselling, dressing, and other treatment plans