Abstract
Fear of recurrence (FOR) following head and
neck cancer is one of the most frequent concerns of patients
and is associated with psychological distress. The aims of
this study were, first, to report the clinical characteristics of
patients selected for FOR concerns on a patient concerns
inventory (PCI) and, second, to compare the degree of FOR
using a FOR questionnaire of those patients expressing
FOR concerns on the PCI with those who did not. Two
cohorts were used. The first comprised consecutive
oncology patients attending clinics from August 2007 for
9 months (N = 123). These patients completed the PCI
only. The second comprised patients attending the same
clinic for over 4 months from October 2008 (N = 68), and
this group completed both the PCI and the FOR questionnaire.
FOR was the most frequently selected issue on the PCI (42%). There were no obvious differences in selecting FOR by patient characteristics. Those who scored ‘a lot’ or ‘all the time’ for questions 1–6 in the FOR questionnaire and responses (on a 10-point scale) of 7–10 for question 7 were deemed as having ‘significant’ FOR. In those raising the issue of FOR on the PCI, 79% (15/19) had significant problems compared to 24% (12/49) if they did not. FOR is a common concern and because it is not possible to identify patients based on clinical parameters, it is important to screen for FOR to direct patients to appropriate support and intervention.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1943-1949 |
Journal | European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology |
Volume | 267 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2010 |