A qualitative exploration of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) amongst Australian and Canadian breast cancer survivors

A qualitative exploration of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) amongst Australian and Canadian breast cancer survivors

Purpose Few studies have explored coping strategies used by cancer survivors to deal with fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), and little research has been conducted on the specific content of recurrence fears. This study aims to qualitatively explore the strategies used by younger breast cancer survivo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Supportive care in cancer Vol. 24; no. 5; pp. 2269 - 2276
Main Authors: Thewes, B., Lebel, S., Seguin Leclair, C., Butow, P.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-05-2016
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Adult
Australia
Breast cancer
Breast Neoplasms - psychology
Canada
Cancer
Cancer survivors
Coping
Fear & phobias
Fear - psychology
Female
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
Nursing
Nursing Research
Oncology
Original
Original Article
Pain Medicine
Psychotherapy
Qualitative research
Rehabilitation Medicine
Relapse
Survivor
Survivors - psychology
Oncology
Breast cancer
Fear of recurrence
Coping
FCR
Worst fear
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Summary:Purpose Few studies have explored coping strategies used by cancer survivors to deal with fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), and little research has been conducted on the specific content of recurrence fears. This study aims to qualitatively explore the strategies used by younger breast cancer survivors to cope with FCR and whether women with low, medium and high levels of FCR employ different coping strategies. An additional aim was to understand the specific content of worst recurrence fears. Method Twenty Australian and 10 Canadian women aged ≤45 years diagnosed with stages 0–II disease at least 1 year prior completed telephone interviews. The transcripts of audio-taped interviews were analysed using the qualitative methodology of transcendental realism. Results Women with higher FCR described using distraction and avoidance and fewer coping skills. The fear of death was a common worst fear at all levels of FCR. However, participants with higher FCR described more elaborate fears of death often involving themes of pain and suffering. Cross-cultural differences were not observed. Conclusions Women with higher FCR report using fewer and more avoidance-based coping techniques. Whilst many participants feared death, those with higher FCR reported more elaborate death fears. Women with high levels of FCR may benefit from learning a greater repertoire of coping skills. Understanding the specific content of FCR can help refine existing psychological treatment protocols for FCR. Implications for FCR treatment are discussed.
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ISSN:0941-4355
1433-7339
DOI:10.1007/s00520-015-3025-x