Do Future Limitation Perspective in Cancer Patients Predict Fear of Cancer Recurrence, Mental Distress, and the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Activity?

Abstract

Life-threatening diseases (e.g., cancer) affect people’s future time perspective (FTP) and affect their mental health. When one’s lifetime is perceived as running out, the individual possesses a future limitation perspective (FLP), which is one of factors in FTP. In this study, we explored the structural relationship between FLP, fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), mental health status (MHS), and brain activity in patients with cancer. Cancer patients were divided into two groups using the FTP scale and Feelings About Life Scale: a strong FLP group (S-FLP) and a weak FLP group (W-FLP). For these groups, we measured cancer patients’ MHS using the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) and FCR using the Cancer Acceptance Scale; brain activity was measured using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Behavioral results showed that the S-FLP group had higher mental symptoms and FCR scores than did the W-FLP group. Neuroimaging results revealed that spontaneous brain activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was stronger in the W-FLP group than in the S-FLP group. Moreover, brain activity in the vmPFC negatively correlated with FLP, FCR, and SCL-90 scores only in the S-FLP group, and the model constructed further indicated that FCR and SCL-90 scores fully mediated the relationship between FLP and vmPFC activities. These findings suggested that a strong FLP might lead to mental disorders and greater FCR, which might change the spontaneous activity of the vmPFC in cancer patients.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Does Our Early Life Environment, Life Trajectory and Socioeconomic Status Determine Disease Susceptibility and Severity?

“…Peri-natal viral infections, such as CMV have been extensively studied and linked to lifelong changes in the microbiome [ 68 ] and common viruses such as influenza are known to affect the development of the immune system when acquired at birth and during infancy [ 69 ]. The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor may play a role in determining microbiome-immune-interactions.…”

Relationships among hope, psychological well-being and health-related quality of life in childhood cancer survivors

“…In particular, children and adolescents with cancer must face new challenges, readjust their personal goals and find new pathways to achieve these goals (Snyder et al, 1997). However, a majority of survivors report fears of disease recurrence and progression, which negatively affect their perceived ability to plan for the future (Elwell et al, 2011; Koch et al, 2013; Zhou et al, 2018). This future uncertainty might engender a feeling of hopelessness and adversely affect the psychological well-being of survivors (Mehnert et al, 2009; Zhou et al, 2018).…”

“…However, a majority of survivors report fears of disease recurrence and progression, which negatively affect their perceived ability to plan for the future (Elwell et al, 2011; Koch et al, 2013; Zhou et al, 2018). This future uncertainty might engender a feeling of hopelessness and adversely affect the psychological well-being of survivors (Mehnert et al, 2009; Zhou et al, 2018). People with a low level of hope are less able to generate alternative pathways to achieve their goals and more likely to experience associated failures (Snyder et al, 1991).…”

Experience of Time and Subjective Age When Facing a Limited Lifetime: The Case of Older Adults with Advanced Cancer

“…A general finding is that cancer significantly impacts patients’ perceptions of time horizons independent of their chronological age ( Fitzpatrick et al, 1980 ; Lövgren et al, 2010 ; Rasmussen & Elverdam, 2007 ; Rovers et al, 2019 ; van Laarhoven et al, 2011 ; Zhou et al, 2018 ). Previous research has shown, for example, that awareness of one’s limited time increases with a diagnosis of malignant disease and that cancer patients tend to reflect more on their lifetime, perceiving that time as a finite resource ( Rasmussen & Elverdam, 2007 ).…”