Objective Fear of recurrence is a crucial issue in cancer care. On the one hand, the increase of cancer‐survival rates and complexity of care is exposing patients to this type of fear. On the other hand, it is a distressing and recurrent psychosocial risk that affects quality of life and adherence to follow‐up. Patients should have access to targeted psychological interventions aimed at reducing or preventing fear of recurrence. This mixed‐methods pilot study reports the preliminary results of a novel mindfulness‐ and metacognition‐based intervention specifically targeting fear of recurrence. Methods The study was composed of an individual (n = 76) and a group (n = 38) intervention, both lasting 8 weeks, that were evaluated through a preassessment and postassessment and a 1‐month follow‐up. We enrolled women recovering from breast cancer (n = 114) in follow‐up care, with significant psychosocial distress. Patients with more severe psychopathology were assigned to the individual treatment, whereas the less severe ones were assigned to the group treatment. We explored the distress and the fear of recurrence through standardized measures and in‐depth qualitative interviews. Results Results showed that depressive, anxious, and post‐traumatic symptoms were reduced significantly in the entire sample. Patients reported a significant reduction of fear of recurrence, which was described in terms of loss of control, increase of uncertainty, and decrease of metacognitive and interpersonal skills. Conclusions Although further studies are needed, these findings provide preliminary proof‐of‐concept results for the potential of integrated mindfulness‐ and metacognition‐based interventions to reduce fear of recurrence in cancer patients.

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This study explored the experience of growth related to being a cancer patient by implementing a thematic analysis. An online questionnaire was completed by 69 patients narrating their growth experience related to cancer. Collected narratives were analyzed by running a deductive thematic analysis, starting from the five domains of the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and searching for the presence or absence of topics. Descriptive statistics and correlational analysis were performed. The five factors of the PTGI were identified in the narratives. The thematic analysis we performed defined a further theme that we labeled the “time dimension”, which saturated 37.7% of the entire sample. The presences of four sub-themes related to the “time dimension” were also found: “tracing a new temporal rhythm”, “the value of deserved time”, “facing the caducity of life” and “a view on the future”. Each sub-theme significantly correlated with the theme of the “time dimension”. This emergent theme does not correlate in our results with other domains of personal growth in cancer previously described in the scientific literature, emerging as an independent variable not significantly associated with other domains of post-traumatic growth. Our results suggest further investigation in the role of the time dimension in the practical and emotional experience of growth with regard to cancer.

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Objective The present study aims to explore post‐traumatic growth in cancer patients comparing the active phase, when patients undergo different treatments, and the remission phase, characterised by periodic follow‐ups and gradually return to lives outside the hospital world. Methods 69 cancer patients (36 in active phase and 33 in remission phase) completed an online survey narrating their growth experience related to cancer disease. A modelling emergent theme analysis was implemented for narratives of both group by means of T‐Lab software. Results Four themes emerged for narratives of active phase group: ‘the time of illness and the time of life (saturating the 46% of words)’, ‘the meaning‐seeking’ (21%), ‘to find oneself in a battle (21%)’ and ‘to learn by battling’ (12%). Remission phase group themes concerned ‘the time of life’ (40%), ‘the seismic experience’ (31%), ‘to care for the Self and for others’ (15%) and ‘strength from vulnerability’ (14%). Conclusions Remission group narratives are close to PTG as defined in scientific literature, while patients in the active phase of disease narrated PTG as the attempt of including illness in their life trajectory and learning from the battle against cancer. Author suggests the definition of peritraumatic growth as a transformation process parallel to treatment phase.

Background: Fatigue is one of the most common and distressing side effects of cancer and its treatment. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network defines Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF) as a persistent, subjective sense of physical, emotional and/or cognitive exhaustion that is not proportional to recent activity. It can range from mild to severe, and may be either temporary or a long-term effect. Percentages of patients who experience CRF vary across studies from 25% to 100% according to the type of cancer, treatments, and method of assessment. Screening for fatigue before, during and after cancer treatment is today a core part of clinical evaluation and quality of life assessments.

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