The experience of everyday cancer-related events as a predictor of fear of recurrence in women with early-stage breast cancer

Abstract

Fear of recurrence (FOR) is a common survivorship concern, even years after initial breast cancer diagnosis. Although past research has identified predictors of FOR, these predictors have largely been immutable demographic or disease/treatment-related factors examined almost exclusively in cross-sectional studies. However, cognitive formulations of FOR hold that cancer-related stimuli (both external and internal) exhibit day-to-day variability and induce coping responses that in turn explain within-person variability in FOR. Consequently, the aim of this study was to investigate predictors of daily variability in FOR, focusing on patients’ daily experiences of both internal (e.g., the experience of physical symptoms) and external (e.g., receiving communications related to cancer treatment) cancer-related stimuli and their coping responses. Seventy-two women with recent diagnoses of breast cancer completed an initial cross-sectional questionnaire soon after surgery, as well as an online diary for 21 consecutive days at the completion of adjuvant treatment. Multilevel modeling suggested that the daily experience of cancer-related events influenced their experience of FOR, primarily through intrusive thoughts. These findings help to expand our knowledge of predictors of FOR in the everyday lives of cancer survivors.