Fear of recurrence among older breast, ovarian, endometrial, and colorectal cancer survivors: Findings from the WHI LILAC study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the prevalence of and factors associated with fear of recurrence (FCR) following treatment for breast, ovarian, endometrial, and colorectal cancer among older women.


METHODS
Participants were enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Life and Longevity After Cancer study. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association of demographic, clinical, and quality of life variables with survivors' FCR, dichotomized as <14 (low) or ≥14 (high) using the Cancer Worry Scale.


RESULTS
Out of the 4259 participants, 3124 (73.3%) were diagnosed with breast cancer, 559 (13.1%) with colorectal cancer, 493 (11.6%) with endometrial cancer, and 83 (2%) with ovarian cancer. There were no significant differences in FCR by cancer type (P = .75), with a mean scale score of 10.8 ± 2.87 for all participants combined. Approximately 16% (n = 679) were in the high FCR group. Multivariable analyses indicated that being younger at diagnosis, reporting a symptom score of ≥8, receipt of chemotherapy, and lower self-rated health were significantly associated with high FCR. Women who were widowed or never married were less likely to report high FCR.


CONCLUSIONS
Fear of recurrence was experienced by a small but important proportion of older, long-term cancer survivors and is associated with multiple demographic and clinical variables. These results will better inform researchers and clinicians regarding the individuals who are at risk of FCR.
['Krok-Schoen|Jessica L|JL|0000-0003-2484-5887', 'Naughton|Michelle J|MJ|', 'Bernardo|Brittany M|BM|', 'Young|Gregory S|GS|', 'Paskett|Electra D|ED|']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D001943:Breast Neoplasms D000073116:Cancer Survivors D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms D005239:Fear D005260:Female D006801:Humans D016015:Logistic Models D008875:Middle Aged D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms D015995:Prevalence D011788:Quality of Life
cancer cancer survivors WHI LILAC older women fear of cancer recurrence