| Sumario: | Significance & Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Pain occurs in more than 70% of CRC patients and 42% of caregivers and leads to diminished quality of life and poor health outcomes. Both sociodemographic and clinical factors are known to affect well-being, including symptom interference. The relationships between these risks and pain interference are not well understood but may offer valuable insights for intervention development if further explored. Purpose: This study aimed to understand the relationship between pain and sociodemographic and clinical risk factors in adult CRC patients and their caregivers. These findings may inform and improve CRC pain evaluation and management practices. Interventions: A cross-sectional secondary data analysis was conducted using a recent dataset of 50 adult patients with CRC and their caregivers, who received a technology-based dyadic intervention at two oncology clinics (funded by the Oncology Nursing Foundation, 2022RE03). Utilizing baseline survey data, univariable and multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the associations of sociodemographic and clinical variables with pain interference, measured by the NIH PROMIS scale, among CRC patients and their caregivers. Results: In the univariable models, patients receiving immunotherapy and employed reported greater pain interference (all p < 0.1). In the multivariable model, immunotherapy remained marginally associated with greater pain interference (E = 9.04, 95% CI [-1.13, 19.21], p = 0.080). For caregivers, older age, lower education, female gender, and employment were associated with greater pain interference in the univariable models (all p < 0.1). In the multivariable model, lower education (E = -12.51, 95% CI [-18.54, -6.47], p < 0.001) and older age (E = 0.224, 95% CI [0.001, 0.484], p = 0.049) remained significantly associated with greater pain interference. Discussion: The findings of this study demonstrate the complexity of pain manifestation in CRC patients and caregivers. In patients, pain interference was potentially linked to immunotherapy, while in caregivers it was most strongly associated with lower education and older age. These results highlight the importance of holistic CRC pain assessment and management that considers both clinical and non-clinical factors. Our findings also offer valuable insights into the development of intervention targeting these factors. Given the small sample size, larger-scale observational and longitudinal studies are warranted to validate these findings.
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