. High FCR at the initial assessment was the strongest predictor of having FCR nine years later.
‘Education level, years since prostate removal, cancer recurrence signs, and current therapies were predictors of fear of cancer recurrence.’
Other predictors of FCR at the follow-up assessment included: lower level of education, more years since prostate cancer surgery, cancer recurrence signs in the first years after treatment, current receipt of therapy for prostate cancer, and anxiety.
“Since FCR remains a burden to certain prostate cancer survivors even many years after their diagnosis and treatment, health care professionals should monitor for it to identify patients at risk and provide appropriate psychosocial care because FCR is leading to limitations in quality of life and psychological well‐being,” said lead author Valentin Meissner, MD, of The Technical University of Munich, in Germany.
This study is the largest registry study to date on the longest longitudinal analysis of FCR. Additional research should be conducted related to FCR in the future.
In the United States, September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Source: Medindia
