Fear of cancer recurrence: a systematic literature review of self‐report measures

Thewes, Belinda; Butow, PN; Zachariae, Robert; Christensen, Søren; Simard, Sébastien; Gotay, Carolyn

doi:10.1002/pon.2070

Cited by 217 publications

(222 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…The physical function is scored as an average of questions based on swallowing, chewing, speech, saliva, taste and appearance, whilst socioemotional function is the average of activity, recreation, pain, mood, anxiety and shoulder. Criteria derived from earlier work [20] can indicate the domains in which patients have a significant problem or dysfunction, with these Fear of the cancer coming back (Tick one box ):…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A single-item screening question for fear of recurrence in head and neck cancer

Rogers

Cross

Talwar

et al. 2015

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol

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Fear of recurrence (FoR) is the most frequent concern patients wish to discuss in head and neck review clinics. The aim of the study was to design a simple screening question on fear of recurrence to be incorporated into the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW-QOLv4), for use in clinical practice. A cross-sectional survey comprising 528 patients was conducted. 11 % selected the two most severe FoR categories. FoR responses correlated strongly (Spearman r s = -0.82) with the mean score of the seven items of the Fear of Recurrence Questionnaire. There was also a strong association with anxiety and mood dysfunction as measured from the UW-QOL, and with overall QOL. Patients more affected by FoR tended to be younger and post-radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The FoR screening question may be a useful addition to the UW-QOLv4 to help identify patients with significant FoR to receive extra support.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A single-item screening question for fear of recurrence in head and neck cancer

Rogers

Cross

Talwar

et al. 2015

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol

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“…Although there are existing validated tools to measure illness intrusiveness [49] and fear of cancer recurrence [53], these instruments have been mostly used in a research context. Their utility as short screening tools in a clinical context is an emerging area of study that can be implemented for screening young BCS with children [54].…”

Section: Future Perspective: Clinical and Research Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motherhood and Well-Being in Young Breast Cancer Survivors

Wan

Arès

Gareau

et al. 2018

Breast Cancer Manag.

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Practice pointsr 15 elements of well-being were identified in the literature and exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure of well-being in breast cancer survivors (BCS): recurrence worries, physical health, psychological adjustment and illness intrusiveness. r Analyses revealed that there was a stronger relationship between psychological adjustment and illness intrusiveness for young BCS with children. r Psychological distress (i.e., lack of psychological adjustment), illness intrusiveness and fear of recurrence co-occurred more frequently in young BCS with children than in BCS without children, thus potentially compromising their well-being. r Our findings indicate that young BCS with children are most in need of screening and interventions in these areas, and such initiatives should be incorporated in their medical care and visits.Aim: This exploratory study aimed to examine differences in well-being between young breast cancer survivors (BCS) with and without children. Materials & methods: Participants (n = 816) completed an online survey relating to quality of life, illness intrusiveness, fear of cancer recurrence, stress and social support. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed similar models of well-being between both groups, but with a stronger relationship between psychological adjustment and illness intrusiveness for BCS with children (r = -0.779, 95% CI: -0.711, -0.848 vs r = -0.525, 95% CI: -0.423, -0.627). Conclusion: Parenting compromises the overall well-being of young BCS with children and they would therefore benefit from interventions and social and oncological support programs, especially for those caring for minor children. In a recent population-based study of cancer survivors, Weaver et al. [1] examined the prevalence of parental cancer via the United States National Health Interview Survey (2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007); they identified 13,385 adults with a history of cancer with one or more minor children under the age of 18. Only adults with minor children who were diagnosed with cancer less than 2 years before the survey were included in the study (n = 1769), but of that subset, approximately 85% of them were diagnosed under the age of 45 [1]. In the USA, the average age of breast cancer diagnosis is 61 years for women; but 11% of all new cases occur in women under the age of 45 [2]. Following these guidelines, we operationalized 'young breast cancer survivors' as individuals with a diagnosis of cancer under the age of 45 and who were currently considered cancer free [2]. A diagnosis of breast cancer at a young age can interfere with the demands of early adulthood and the short-and long-term effects of treatment can be especially problematic for this group [3]. Young breast cancer survivors with children (BCS with children) may, therefore, be a particularly vulnerable group because the stressors that accompany motherhood may compound the difficulties Breast Cancer Manag. (Epub ahead of print)

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“…Gran parte de lo que sabemos sobre cómo lidiar con el cáncer es lo referente a la investigación en la etapa tratamiento médico sin embargo las repercusiones a mediano y largo plazo no han sido lo suficientemente estudiadas (26) . Dado que la recurrencia representa un riesgo mayor dentro de los primeros años de seguimiento, el temor a esta es una constante en muchos de los sobrevivientes en la etapa posterior al tratamiento (27) .…”

Section: Cáncer Testicularunclassified