Oral Presentation FCIC Survivorship Conference 2013

Fear of Recurrence (#4)

Jane Turner 1
  1. University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia

Completion of treatment for cancer intuitively promises relief and hope. However between 40% and 70% of people struggle with concerns that the cancer could recur, leading to reduced quality of life for patients and their families, and increased attendance for health checks and requests for investigations. In addition to the obvious cost for health services, it is apparent that repeated investigations incur potential risks and potentially compound anxiety and fear for the individual.  Unfortunately, this disabling problem (which is known as Fear of Cancer Recurrence) has received little research attention until recently, and there is limited evidence regarding appropriate   interventions. This presentation will provide an overview of a novel conceptualisation of Fear of Cancer Recurrence, describing the pathway to the development of the problem and describe a study evaluating the impact of a structured manual-based therapy delivered over 5 sessions by a trained psychologist or psychiatrist. Pilot data demonstrating the acceptability of the intervention and preliminary evidence of benefit will also be presented.