Living with cancer-related uncertainty: associations with fatigue, insomnia, and affect in younger breast cancer survivors.

PURPOSE

Uncertainty in cancer patients and survivors about cancer-related symptoms, treatment, and disease course has been related to poorer mental and physical health. However, little is known about whether cancer-related uncertainty relates with specific disease and treatment-related outcomes such as fatigue, insomnia, and affect disruptions. In this paper, we report these associations in younger survivors aged 50 years or less, a population increasing in prevalence.

METHODS

Participants included 313 breast cancer survivors (117 African-Americans and 196 Caucasians) who were aged 24 to 50 years and were 2 to 4 years posttreatment. Self-reported cancer-related uncertainty (Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale-Survivor Version), fatigue (Piper Fatigue Scale-Revised), insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index), and negative and positive affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)) measures were collected upon study entry.

RESULTS

Hierarchical regression analyses controlled for relevant sociodemographic variables include the following: race, age, years of education, number of children, employment status, marital status, monthly income, smoking status, family history of cancer, endorsement of treatment-induced menopause, and religiosity. Over and above these factors, higher cancer-related uncertainty was significantly associated with more self-reported fatigue (β = .43), insomnia (β = .34), negative affect (β = .43), as well as less positive affect (β = -.33), all ps < .01.

CONCLUSIONS

Younger breast cancer survivors who are 2-4 years posttreatment experience cancer-related uncertainty, with higher levels associated with more self-reported psychophysiological disruptions. Cancer survivors who present in clinical settings with high uncertainty about recurrence or management of long-term effects of treatment may thus benefit from assessment of fatigue, insomnia, and affect.