Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is defined as the "fear, worry, or concern relating to the possibility that cancer will come back or progress." This is increasingly recognized as a significant survivorship concern, and while the vast majority of research aims to examine the experience of FCR among cancer survivors, far fewer studies consider their partners or informal caregivers. A recent study looks at examining just that.
The work is published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship . Research suggests that without intervention , elevated FCR remains stable and chronic over time and is associated with disruptions in emotional and physical functioning and reductions in quality of life. Cortisol fluctuates during times of chronic stress and is influenced by features of the stressor such as the time since the stressor onset, controllability of the stressor, nature of the threat, and stressor-associated emotions elicited over time.
Looking at these levels helped researchers measure the stress levels of partners of cancer survivors for the purposes of this study. The team hypothesized that greater levels of FCR near the end of and following the months of breast cancer treatment would also mean increased cortisol levels in the partners of survivors. The study results support this.
More information: Alyssa L. Fenech et al, Fear of cancer recurrence and change in hair cortisol concentrations in partners of breast cancer survivors, Journal of Cancer Survivorship (2024). DOI: 10.
1007/s.