Trajectory of fear of cancer recurrence and beliefs and rates of medication adherence in patients with breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the growth trajectory of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and its predictors, and the association of that trajectory with the beliefs and rates of medication adherence in patients with breast cancer.

METHODS

Two hundred and ten patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant endocrine therapy in a university hospital in Seoul, Korea, were followed up five times over 18 months following surgery, and data from the final 162 patients were analyzed.

RESULTS

Latent class growth analysis identified three classes. Classes 1 (38.31%) and 2 (39.89%) showed low and moderate FCR levels, respectively, with a decreasing trend over time. Class 3 (21.80%) showed a high FCR level with an initially decreasing but increasing trend afterward s. Lower education and unemployed status were associated with the high FCR class. Higher depression was more associated with the moderate FCR class than the low FCR class. Higher emotional representation was more associated with the high FCR class than with low FCR class, and greater illness comprehension was more associated with the moderate FCR class than with the high FCR class. Both necessity and concerns about medication were the highest in the high FCR class. However, self-reported medication adherence rates did not significantly differ between the classes.

CONCLUSIONS

A high level of FCR appears to persist over time, and given its association with greater concerns about medication, monitoring and management of FCR throughout the cancer trajectory.