Fear of recurrence significantly influences quality of life in oral cancer patients

What factors are associated with posttraumatic growth in head and neck cancer carers?

“…Although fear of cancer recurrence has often been thought of as being a primary concern for patients, it is common amongst carers as well (Hodges and Humphris, 2009;Longacre et al, 2012). To a certain extent the relationship between worry about cancer and PTG that was detected in this study is surprising as FOR has been previously associated with psychological morbidity and reduced quality of life in cancer patients and their partners (Handschel et al, 2012;Hodges and Humphris, 2009). However like financial concerns, the suffering associated with fear of recurrence may provide fertile ground from which PTG can emerge.…”

Patients' preferences concerning follow‐up after curative head and neck cancer treatment: A cross‐sectional pilot study

“…The evidence underlying current follow‐up guidelines is weak and patients' preferences are not taken into account. Such preferences may underlie practical reasons, but may also depend on fear of recurrence (FoR), which is frequently present in survivors of HNSCC . Furthermore, the significance of symptoms in the detection of recurrences or second primaries remains poorly investigated, but some studies show that an important part of recurrences and second primaries are discovered based on patient‐reported symptoms rather than findings in physical examination.…”

An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experience of living with colorectal cancer as a chronic illness

“…While the impact of cancer will depend on the type of tumour and the stage of disease when one is diagnosed, it is clear that those living with and beyond any cancer must learn to cope with the physical and psychological consequences of both the disease itself and its treatment (Drageset, Lindstrøm, & Underlid, ). It is common for patients to experience a number of late side effects following treatment including fear of cancer recurrence (Gahzzali, Cadwallader, Humphris, Ozakinici, & Roger, ; Handschel, Naujoks, Kubler, & Kruskemper, ; Herschbach & Dinkel, ; Lebel et al., ) and physical and mental functional impairment (Kiserud, Dahl, Loge, & Frossa, ; Pélissier, Fontana, & Chauvin, ; Rodriguez, Hawkins, Berkowitz, & Li, ). These difficulties can permeate all aspects of a patient's life as they move into survivorship which can impact on the techniques, and adaptive strategies they use to manage their condition, and they can affect how they plan for their future lives post‐treatment (Appleton, Goodlad, Irvine, Poole, & Wall, ; Maughan & Clarke, ; Roberts & Clarke, ).…”