Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2014 Sep;8(3):485-96.
doi: 10.1007/s11764-014-0357-3. Epub 2014 Apr 23.

Addressing fear of cancer recurrence among women with cancer: a feasibility and preliminary outcome study

Sophie Lebel  1 , Christine Maheu, Monique Lefebvre, Scott Secord, Christine Courbasson, Mina Singh, Lynne Jolicoeur, Aronela Benea, Cheryl Harris, Michael Fung Kee Fung, Zeev Rosberger, Pamela Catton
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Addressing fear of cancer recurrence among women with cancer: a feasibility and preliminary outcome study

Sophie Lebel et al. J Cancer Surviv. 2014 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Evidence suggests that fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is one of the most frequently cited unmet needs among cancer survivors and is associated with psychological distress, stress-response symptoms, and lower quality of life, as well as increased use of health care resources. Despite these factors, few manualized interventions exist to address FCR among cancer survivors.

Purpose: To develop, manualize, and pilot test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 6-week cognitive-existential (CE) group intervention designed to address FCR in women with breast or ovarian cancer.

Methods: This study was a single-arm multi-site study with pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up measurement occasions.

Results: A total of 56 breast or ovarian cancer survivors enrolled in the study; 44 completed the CE group intervention. Following the intervention, women experienced a reduction in the primary study outcome measure of FCR and secondary study outcome measures of cancer-specific distress and uncertainty. They also reported improvements in secondary study outcome measures of quality of life and coping. The effect sizes of the observed changes were for the most part in the medium to large effect range; furthermore, almost all changes were sustained at 3-month follow-up.

Conclusion: This brief intervention appears feasible and has shown promising results in addressing FCR and related secondary outcomes of cancer-specific distress, uncertainty, quality of life, and coping; however, it should be further tested using a randomized controlled study design to more definitively assess its efficacy.

Implications for cancer survivors: FCR is a near-universal worry for cancer survivors that, when left unaddressed, tends to remain stable over time. This study has important implications for all cancer survivors as it is the first published intervention that provides preliminary evidence of its efficacy in decreasing fear of cancer recurrence.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Soc Sci Med. 1994 May;38(9):1201-8 - PubMed
    1. Psychiatr Serv. 2009 Jul;60(7):898-907 - PubMed
    1. Cancer. 2005 Apr 1;103(7):1494-502 - PubMed
    1. Psychooncology. 1997 Jun;6(2):95-105 - PubMed
    1. Psychooncology. 2013 Jan;22(1):1-11 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources