John Wiley & Sons : New Analysis Addresses Fear of Cancer Recurrence

After undergoing treatment for cancer, patients may worry that the disease will recur. An analysis of published studies indicates that fear of cancer recurrence may lead to an increased use of healthcare resources-such as more visits to see physicians and greater use of medications-by cancer survivors.

The analysis, which is published in Psycho-Oncology, also found evidence that some interventions to address fear of cancer recurrence are likely to be cost‐effective for reducing fear and improving quality of life.

'The possibility of cancer returning causes a great mental health cost for cancer survivors, but there is also a hidden cost to the healthcare system. Globally, millions of cancer survivors struggle with fear of cancer recurrence, despite the existence of effective interventions that would save both money and distress,' said lead author Jake Williams, MPH, of the University of Sydney, in Australia. 'Implementing existing effective interventions for fear of cancer recurrence may improve both cancer survivors' mental health and reduce their unnecessary healthcare usage.'

Additional Information

Link to Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.5673

About Journal

Psycho-Oncology is concerned with the psychological, social, behavioral, and ethical aspects of cancer. This subspeciality addresses the two major psychological dimensions of cancer: the psychological responses of patients to cancer at all stages of the disease, and that of their families and caretakers; and the psychological, behavioral and social factors that may influence the disease process. Psycho-oncology is an area of multi-disciplinary interest and has boundaries with the major specialties in oncology: the clinical disciplines (surgery, medicine, pediatrics, radiotherapy), epidemiology, immunology, endocrinology, biology, pathology, bioethics, palliative care, rehabilitation medicine, clinical trials research and decision making, as well as psychiatry and psychology.

About Wiley

Wiley drives the world forward with research and education. Through publishing, platforms and services, we help students, researchers, universities, and corporations to achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to all of our stakeholders. The Company's website can be accessed at www.wiley.com.