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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1809175
Original Article

Fear of Cancer Recurrence and Coping among Breast Cancer Survivors among Indian Females: A Longitudinal Study

Monika Thakur
1   Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
,
Anand Kumar Mishra
2   Department of Endocrine Surgery, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
,
Kusum Lata
3   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Integral Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
,
Jagadeesha H. N.
4   Department of Respiratory and Pulmonary Medicine, Basaveshwara Medical College & Hospital, Chitradurga, Karnataka, India
,
Simrat Kaur
5   Department of Psychology, Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Delhi University, Delhi, India
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.
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Abstract

Introduction

Breast cancer survivors (BCSs) may experience a cascade of negative reactions during the entire treatment process. Post-treatment, the most common challenge among all fears is cancer recurrence. The fear brings many forms of psychological morbidity during follow-up. However, coping throughout and beyond cancer helps survivors hold a strong pillar of support as part of backup.

Objective

This study aims to assess the interplay of the fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and how it impacts the distress and relation of coping with recurrence.

Materials and Methods

A longitudinal study was conducted in a tertiary care center in North India: T1 (January 2021–April 2021) and T2 (May 2023–September 2023). A total of 700 BCSs were approached initially, and after 2 years, they were again screened using the purposive sampling technique. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 23 was used to analyze the data.

Results

The patients' mean age ( standard deviation [SD]) was 48.14 (8.53) years. The mean (SD) FCR score was 15.26 (4.45). There was an inverse association between the FCR score and the coping score. The higher the age, the lesser the FCR score and the better religious coping.

Conclusion

Psychological FCR is a detachable part of patients' worry once a person is diagnosed with any threatening illness. The coping mechanism should be strengthened by providing psychosocial interventions, family therapy, and other individual-centered therapies.

Keywords

breast cancer survivor - fear of cancer recurrence - coping - psychological distress - depression - women - India

Data Availability Statement

Author elects to not share data.


Patient's Consent

Informed consent was obtained from the patient before participating in the study.




Publication History

Article published online:
20 May 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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