scholarly journals Fear of cancer recurrence: A study of the experience of survivors of ovarian cancer

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Kyriacou ◽  
Alexandra Black ◽  
Nancy Drummond ◽  
Joanne Power ◽  
Christine Maheu
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Fear Of Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Fear Of Cancer

scholarly journals Is a Brief Online Booklet Sufficient to Reduce Fear of Cancer Recurrence or Progression in Women With Ovarian Cancer?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poorva Pradhan ◽  
Louise Sharpe ◽  
Phyllis N. Butow ◽  
Allan Ben Smith ◽  
Hayley Russell
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Medical History ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Fear Of Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Fear Of Progression ◽  
Psychosocial Need ◽  
Fear Of Cancer

Background: Fear of cancer recurrence or progression (FCR/P) is a common challenge experienced by people living with and beyond cancer and is frequently endorsed as the highest unmet psychosocial need amongst survivors. This has prompted many cancer organizations to develop self-help resources for survivors to better manage these fears through psychoeducation, but little is known about whether they help reduce FCR/P.Method: We recruited 62 women with ovarian cancer. Women reported on their medical history and demographic characteristics and completed the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF). They then read a booklet on FCR specifically created for Ovarian Cancer Australia by two of the authors (ABS and PB). One week after reading the booklet, 50/62 women (81%) completed the FoP-Q-SF and answered questions about their satisfaction with the booklet.Results: More than half of the women (35/62; 56.5%) scored in the clinical range for FCR/P at baseline. Of the completers, 93% said that they would recommend the booklet to other women. Satisfaction with the booklet was relatively high (75.3/100) and more than two-thirds of women rated it as moderately helpful or better. However, FCR/P did not change significantly over the week following reading the booklet [t(49) = 1.71, p = 0.09]. There was also no difference in change in FCR/P between women in the clinical vs. non-clinical range on the FoP-Q. Women high in FCR/P rated the booklet as less helpful in managing FCR/P (r = −0.316, p = 0.03), but overall satisfaction with the booklet was not associated with degree of FCR/P (r = −0.24, p = 0.10).Conclusions: These results suggest that a simple online FCR booklet is acceptable to women with ovarian cancer and they are satisfied with the booklet, but, it was insufficient to change in FCR/P levels. These results suggest that such resources are valued by women with ovarian cancer, but more potent interventions are necessary to reduce FCR in this population.

scholarly journals Fear of cancer recurrence: testing a cognitive formulation across time in women with ovarian cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Torbit
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Cognitive Model ◽  
Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Fear Of Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Fear Of Cancer

Background: Lee-Jones and colleagues (1997) have proposed a comprehensive cognitive model of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), however little research has utilized or fully tested this conceptual model. Additionally, the cross-sectional nature of most studies limits our understanding of the trajectory of FCR over time, and longitudinal research is greatly needed. Method: Patients completed assessment measures at baseline (Time 1) and three months post-baseline (Time 2). The three aims of this study were to (1) test the cognitive model of FCR within an ovarian cancer population; (2) examine model stability; and (3) test the predictive validity of the model. Results: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) suggested a more parsimonious four-factor model relative to Lee-Jones et al.’s suggested model. Using the results of the EFA, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data-driven model, with findings revealing excellent model fit at Time 1,  2 (60, N=283) = 130.48, p< .001,  2 /df = 1.84, CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .06. This same model was examined at Time 2, with findings revealing acceptable model fit;  2 (60, N=201) = 121.15, p < .001,  2 /df = 2.02, CFI =0.93, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .07, thus confirming that configural invariance was met. Tests of predictive validity indicated that using the components of FCR at Time 1 to predict consequences at Time 2 resulted in adequate model fit, 2 (84, N=283) = 167.17, p < .001, CFI =0.94, RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .07,  2 /df = 1.99; however, the regression paths from the emotional experience and cognitive appraisals were not significant predictors of behavioural responses at Time 2. Discussion: Findings demonstrated that the emotional experience of FCR may be far more complex for ovarian cancer patients than previously suggested which has important treatment implications. The current study is the first to evaluate the relative stability of the components of a data-driven model of FCR, with results revealing that the majority of ovarian cancer patients experience FCR, which is stable across a three-month period. Findings suggest that screening for FCR would be beneficial across the cancer experience.

scholarly journals Cause or Effect? The Role of Prognostic Uncertainty in the Fear of Cancer Recurrence

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul K. J. Han ◽  
Caitlin Gutheil ◽  
Rebecca N. Hutchinson ◽  
Jason A. LaChance
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Fear Of Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Prognostic Information ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Causal Pathways ◽  
Fear Of Cancer ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Prognostic Uncertainty

BackgroundFear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is an important cause of suffering for cancer survivors, and both empirical evidence and theoretical models suggest that prognostic uncertainty plays a causal role in its development. However, the relationship between prognostic uncertainty and FCR is incompletely understood.ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between prognostic uncertainty and FCR among patients with ovarian cancer (OC).DesignA qualitative study was conducted utilizing individual in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer who had completed first-line treatment with surgery and/or chemotherapy. Semi-structured interviews explored participants’ (1) understanding of their prognosis; (2) experiences, preferences, and attitudes regarding prognostic information; and (3) strategies for coping with prognostic uncertainty. Inductive qualitative analysis and line-by-line software-assisted coding of interview transcripts was conducted to identify key themes and generate theoretical insights on the relationship between prognostic uncertainty and FCR.ResultsThe study sample consisted of 21 participants, nearly all of whom reported experiencing significant FCR, which they traced to an awareness of the possibility of a bad outcome. Some participants valued and pursued prognostic information as a means of coping with this awareness, suggesting that prognostic uncertainty causes FCR. However, most participants acknowledged fundamental limits to both the certainty and value of prognostic information, and engaged in various strategies aimed not at reducing but constructing and maintaining prognostic uncertainty as a means of sustaining hope in the possibility of a good outcome. Participants’ comments suggested that prognostic uncertainty, fear, and hope are connected by complex, bi-directional causal pathways mediated by processes that allow patients to cope with, construct, and maintain their uncertainty. A provisional dual-process theoretical model was developed to capture these pathways.ConclusionAmong patients with OC, prognostic uncertainty is both a cause and an effect of FCR—a fear-inducing stimulus and a hope-sustaining response constructed and maintained through various strategies. More work is needed to elucidate the relationships between prognostic uncertainty, fear, and hope, to validate and refine our theoretical model, and to develop interventions to help patients with OC and other serious illnesses to achieve an optimal balance between these states.

scholarly journals Fear of cancer recurrence: testing a cognitive formulation across time in women with ovarian cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Torbit
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Cognitive Model ◽  
Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Fear Of Cancer Recurrence ◽  
Fear Of Cancer

Background: Lee-Jones and colleagues (1997) have proposed a comprehensive cognitive model of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), however little research has utilized or fully tested this conceptual model. Additionally, the cross-sectional nature of most studies limits our understanding of the trajectory of FCR over time, and longitudinal research is greatly needed. Method: Patients completed assessment measures at baseline (Time 1) and three months post-baseline (Time 2). The three aims of this study were to (1) test the cognitive model of FCR within an ovarian cancer population; (2) examine model stability; and (3) test the predictive validity of the model. Results: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) suggested a more parsimonious four-factor model relative to Lee-Jones et al.’s suggested model. Using the results of the EFA, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data-driven model, with findings revealing excellent model fit at Time 1,  2 (60, N=283) = 130.48, p< .001,  2 /df = 1.84, CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .06. This same model was examined at Time 2, with findings revealing acceptable model fit;  2 (60, N=201) = 121.15, p < .001,  2 /df = 2.02, CFI =0.93, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .07, thus confirming that configural invariance was met. Tests of predictive validity indicated that using the components of FCR at Time 1 to predict consequences at Time 2 resulted in adequate model fit, 2 (84, N=283) = 167.17, p < .001, CFI =0.94, RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .07,  2 /df = 1.99; however, the regression paths from the emotional experience and cognitive appraisals were not significant predictors of behavioural responses at Time 2. Discussion: Findings demonstrated that the emotional experience of FCR may be far more complex for ovarian cancer patients than previously suggested which has important treatment implications. The current study is the first to evaluate the relative stability of the components of a data-driven model of FCR, with results revealing that the majority of ovarian cancer patients experience FCR, which is stable across a three-month period. Findings suggest that screening for FCR would be beneficial across the cancer experience.

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