An Integrative Review on Factors Contributing to Fear of Cancer Recurrence Among Young Adult Breast Cancer Survivors

Ecosystem Barriers and Facilitators Linked to the Fear of Cancer Recurrence: An Umbrella Review

The fear of cancer recurrence is an important topic in the healthcare field. In general, approximately 40% of survivors experience high levels of fear of recurrence. This study aims to fill this gap by synthesizing the findings of systematic reviews studies investigating ecosystems, correlates or predictors, and barriers and facilitators of fear of cancer recurrence among cancer survivors. An umbrella meta-synthesis was conducted using the following databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, CINAHL, Business source premier, and SOCindex, ending in April 2024 with PRISMA methods. A total of 24 systematic reviews, representing 729 articles, were included in the study. In total, six ecosystems were identified, including family, work, friends, the healthcare system, caregivers, and religion. As part of this umbrella review, 55 specific ecosystemic factors were identified that may contribute to fear of cancer recurrence. Furthermore, the umbrella review identified 12 facilitators and 12 barriers related to fear of cancer recurrence. This umbrella meta-synthesis contributed significantly to our review's strength in synthesizing the main ecosystem and its influence on fears of cancer recurrence. Understanding the interdependence of ecosystems should enable future research on intervention effectiveness or the development of interventions that could reduce the fear of cancer recurrence.

A qualitative study of sleep in young breast cancer survivors: "No longer able to sleep through the night"

Sleep disturbance is common among women with breast cancer and is associated with greater symptom distress and poorer outcomes. Yet, for the unique subgroup of young women with breast cancer (YWBC), there is limited information on sleep. To address the gap in our understanding of sleep health in YWBC, we explored their perspective on sleep quality, sleep changes over time, contributing factors, and any strategies used to promote sleep. As part of an explanatory sequential mixed method study, we recruited a sub-sample of 35 YWBC (≤ 50 years of age at the time of diagnosis) from the larger quantitative study phase. These participants were within the first 5 years since diagnosis and completed primary and systemic adjuvant therapy. We conducted virtual semi-structured interviews, transcribed them verbatim, and analyzed data with an interpretive description approach. YWBC experience difficulty falling asleep, waking up at night, and not feeling refreshed in the morning. They attributed interrupted sleep to vasomotor symptoms, anxiety/worry, ruminating thoughts, everyday life stressors, and discomfort. The sleep disturbance was most severe during and immediately after treatment but persisted across the 5 years of survivorship. The participants reported trying pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic strategies to improve the quantity and quality of their sleep. Future research would benefit from longitudinal designs to capture temporal changes in sleep and develop interventions to improve sleep health. Clinically, assessment of sleep health is indicated for YWBC related to the prevalence of disturbed sleep. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Early access to sleep assessment and management, ideally before cancer treatment, would be beneficial for young breast cancer survivors. In addition, cancer treatment plans should include physical and psychological symptoms, especially those reported by women in this study: vasomotor symptoms, anxiety and worry, discomfort, and pain.

Psychosocial and supportive care concerns of young women living with advanced breast cancer: baseline findings from a prospective virtual support intervention study

PURPOSE

Adolescent and young adults (AYAs) with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) experience high physical and psychosocial burdens compounded by a disrupted life trajectory. We sought to determine the psychosocial and supportive care concerns of this population to better understand and address unmet needs.

METHODS

AYAs diagnosed with MBC (18-39 years) participating in a prospective interventional study (Young, Empowered, and Strong) at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute completed an electronic survey following enrollment. Measures evaluated sociodemographics, health behaviors, quality of life, and symptoms, among others. We used two-sided Fisher's exact tests to determine associations between concerns (e.g., cancer progression, side effects, lifestyle, finances, fertility) and demographic variables.

RESULTS

Among 77 participants enrolled from 9/2020-12/2022, average age at MBC diagnosis and survey was 35.9 (range: 22-39) and 38.3 years (range: 27-46), respectively. Most were non-Hispanic white (83.8%) and 40.3% reported their diagnosis caused some financial problems. Many were concerned about fertility (27.0%), long-term treatment side effects (67.6%), exercise (61.6%), and diet (54.1%). Select concerns varied significantly by age, race/ethnicity, and education. Younger women at survey reported greater concern about familial cancer risk (p = 0.028). Women from minority racial/ethnic groups more frequently reported issues talking about their cancer to family/friends (p = 0.040) while those with more education were more frequently concerned with long-term effects of cancer on their health (p = 0.021).

CONCLUSION

Young women living with MBC frequently report psychosocial, health, and cancer management concerns. Tailoring supportive care and communications to address prevalent concerns including disease progression and treatment side effects may optimize wellbeing.

The Emotional Impact of a Cancer Diagnosis: A Qualitative Study of Adolescent and Young Adult Experience

The biographical disruption that occurs in adolescents and young adults following a cancer diagnosis can affect various important psychosocial domains including relationships with family and friends, sexual development, vocational and educational trajectories, and physical and emotional wellbeing. While there is evidence of the physical impact of cancer during this period, less is known about the impact on emotional wellbeing and especially on the barriers for young people accessing help and support. We aimed to obtain a more in-depth understanding of young people's experiences of their diagnosis, treatment, psychological impact, and range of resources they could or wanted to access for their mental health. We conducted an in-depth qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 43 young people who had developed cancer aged 16 to 39 years and were either within 6 months of diagnosis or 3-5 years after treatment had ended. Framework analysis identified three themes: the emotional impact of cancer (expressed through anxiety, anger, and fear of recurrence); personal barriers to support through avoidance; and support to improve mental health through mental health services or adolescent and young adult treatment teams. We showed the barriers young people have to access care, particularly participant avoidance of support. Interrupting this process to better support young people and provide them with flexible, adaptable, consistent, long-term psychological support has the potential to improve their quality of life and wellbeing.

The effects of physical symptoms, self-efficacy and social constraints on fear of cancer recurrence in breast cancer survivors: Examining the mediating role of illness representations

OBJECTIVE

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is common in breast cancer survivors (BCS). This study examined the mediating role of illness representations in the relationships between FCR and physical symptoms, social constraint and self-care self-efficacy.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 385 women with breast cancer completed a series of questionnaires including the FCR Inventory, Social Constraints Scale-15, Cancer Survivors Self-Efficacy Scale, Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised and European Organization for Research and Treatment Quality of Life Questionnaire-Breast Cancer. Structural equation modelling method was conduct by using a bootstrapping method.

RESULTS

Physical symptoms (β = 0.272, p < 0.01), social constraints (β = 0.130, p < 0.01), self-efficacy (β = -0.233, p < 0.01) and illness representation (β = 0.261, p < 0.01) have direct effects on FCR. The indirect effects of physical symptoms (β = 0.10, p < 0.01), social constraints (β = 0.076, p < 0.01) and self-efficacy (β = -0.025, p < 0.05) on FCR were partially mediated by illness representations.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, the effects of physical symptoms, social constraints and self-efficacy on FCR were found to be mediated by illness representation. Reducing the impact of negative illness representations on FCR by reducing physical symptoms, increasing self-efficacy, and promoting open disclosure of cancer-related concerns may be effective in reducing FCR in BCS.

Effects of Social Support, Family Resilience, and Individual Resilience on Fear of Cancer Recurrence Among Persons With Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

There is limited research exploring the psychological and social predictors of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR).

OBJECTIVE

This study tested the effects of social support, family resilience, and individual resilience on FCR among persons with breast cancer.

METHODS

A convenience sampling method was used to select 214 participants from March to August 2021 in 1 tertiary hospital in Jinan, China. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Path analysis was adopted to explore the effects of social support, family resilience, and individual resilience on FCR.

RESULTS

Findings showed that 94.6% of the participants reached a clinical level of FCR. Social support (β = -.75, p < .01) and individual resilience (β = -.32, p < .01) negatively and directly impacted FCR. Family resilience indirectly impacted FCR through individual resilience (β = -.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): -.34 to -.08). Social support indirectly impacted FCR through family resilience and individual resilience (β = -.15, 95% CI: -.23 to -.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Persons with breast cancer experienced a high level of FCR. Individual resilience was a mediator between family resilience and FCR. Resilience (individual resilience and family resilience) partially mediated the effects of social support on FCR. The findings indicate that measures focused on improving individual resilience, family resilience, and social support should be considered by nurses, which are helpful for easing FCR.

Introducing FCR 6 – Brain: Measuring Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Brain Tumor Patients and Their Caregivers

Background

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a psychological consequence of cancer diagnosis that impacts quality of life in neuro-oncology. However, the instruments used to assess FCR have not been tested for validity in patients with brain tumors. The present study explored the psychometric properties of a brief FCR scale in patients with primary brain tumor (PBT) and their caregivers.

Methods

Adult patients with PBT (n = 165) and their caregivers (n = 117) completed the FCR–7-item scale (FCR7) and measures of psychological functioning. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were conducted for both patient and caregiver FCR7. Convergent validity, prevalence, the difference between FCR in patients and caregivers, and relationships with relevant medical and demographic variables were explored.

Results

EFAs revealed a single factor with one item demonstrating poor loading for both patients and caregivers. Removal of the item measuring hypervigilance symptoms (checking for physical signs of tumor) greatly improved the single factor metrics. The amended scale (FCR6-Brain) demonstrated good convergent validity. Caregiver FCR was significantly higher than patient. Clinical guidance to identify clinically significant FCR was introduced. Age, gender, and time since diagnosis were related to FCR, with higher FCR in younger women more recently diagnosed.

Conclusions

The FCR6-Brain is the first validated instrument to assess FCR in this population and should be used to identify individuals at risk for FCR and guide development of future psychotherapeutic interventions. This study highlights the distinct characteristics of FCR in neuro-oncology. Symptoms of hypervigilance in PBT patients need further investigation.

Fear of Recurrence in Young Adult Cancer Patients—A Network Analysis

Simple Summary

Fear of cancer recurrence is a main concern for the majority of cancer patients during their disease. Young adults with cancer may experience fear of recurrence throughout their lives, given their relatively long potential survival time. More research is needed to identify evidence-based interventions that can adequately address this fear. Investigating the underlying mechanisms that trigger and sustain fear of cancer recurrence is an important step toward this goal. Network analysis is a useful tool to study symptoms and their structural relationships. The aim of this study is to apply the network analysis approach in a sample of young cancer patients to comprehend their specific symptomatology and define the optimal structure of a questionnaire to assess fear of recurrence in this patient group. Future studies may seek to replicate our findings among different age group samples to identify network structures and potential targets for clinical intervention.

Abstract

Due to the high survival rates of many young cancer patients and a high risk of second tumors, fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) can cause serious impairment for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the structure of the Fear of Disease Progression Questionnaire (FoP-Q-12) to better understand the construct of FCR. We performed a cross-sectional survey on a sample of AYA patients aged 15–39 years with different tumor entities. FCR was measured using the FoP-Q-12, and a network analysis was conducted to examine the relationship of FCR symptoms. The importance of individual items in the network was determined using centrality analyses. A total of 247 AYA patients (81.8% female, median age 31.0 years) participated in the study. The mean FCR score in the sample was 35.9 (SD = 9.9). The majority of patients reported having high FCR (59.5%), according to the established cut-off. The two questionnaire items with the strongest association related to fears about work, and the most central symptom was the fear of serious medical interventions. The centrality of emotional issues in the sample indicates that these symptoms should be prioritized in the development of interventions targeting FCR. Further research should address this topic with larger samples of patients in other age groups and in longitudinal studies.

Exploring the effects of genomic testing on fear of cancer recurrence among breast cancer survivors

OBJECTIVE

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is the greatest unmet psychosocial need among breast cancer survivors (BCS). The Oncotype Dx® test predicts the 10-year risk of distant recurrence and benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy among women with early stage hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Despite the test's clinical utility, psychosocial responses are poorly understood.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to explore associations between Oncotype Dx® test results (Recurrence Score [RS]) and FCR, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), distress, anxiety, depression, illness representation and perceived risk. Bivariate analyses were used to examine the associations between variables followed by multiple linear regression to examine predictors of FCR.

RESULTS

Greater FCR was associated with higher distress, anxiety, depression, illness representation and poorer HRQOL. BCS's with a high Oncotype Dx® RS reported higher overall fear (p = 0.013) and greater perceived consequences of their cancer (p = 0.034) compared to BCS's with a low RS. Using multiple linear regression, anxiety ( β  = 0.21, p = 0.016), greater emotional response ( β  = 0.45, p < 0.001) and perceived consequences ( β  = 0.18, p = 0.039) of illness explained 58% of the variance (p < 0.001) in FCR.

CONCLUSION

BCS's with higher risk of recurrence may experience higher FCR. However, for FCR, modifiable factors such as anxiety and illness representation (greater emotional response and perceived consequences of illness) may be more important than non-modifiable factors such as Oncotype Dx® test results and age. Further research is needed to develop personalized interventions to improve BCS's outcomes.