Increased fear of progression in cancer patients with recurrence

ObjectiveThis study investigated the fear of progression (FoP) in cancer patients and the discriminant ability of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire (FoP-Q) against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), while also examining relationships between FoP, satisfaction outcomes and supportive needs.MethodThe FoP-Q and HADS were administered to 112 cancer patients in Korea during June and July 2006. The FoP-Q totals and subscales, and the HADS scores were compared across three groups (patients with recurrence, patients with metastases and controls experiencing neither).ResultsComparison of the FoP-Q total score to HADS anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D) scores showed higher FoP in the recurrence group compared to the control group (P=.009). Subscale score comparisons revealed a heightened “affective reaction” (P=.003) to cancer progression and fear of “loss of autonomy” (P=.011) in recurrence patients. FoP-Q score showed a moderate association with HADS-A (r=.54, P=.000) and a significant association with treatment satisfaction (r=−.26, P=.007), medical staff and communication (r=−.31, P=.001), and supportive needs (r=.41, P=.000).ConclusionThe importance of providing supportive interventions tailored to the specific emotional concerns of cancer patients, assessed via appropriate, disease-specific instruments, and the need to pay special attention to the concerns of recurrence patients are suggested.