Fear of cancer recurrence in patients with multiple myeloma: Prevalence and predictors based on a family model analysis.

OBJECTIVE

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common psychosocial sequela among cancer survivors, but data on patients with multiple myeloma are scarce. This study calculated the prevalence of FCR and identified family and social factors that predict FCR in the study population.

METHODS

We recruited 127 myeloma patients and their partners to participate in a cross-sectional survey from a regional tertiary cancer centre in China. The questionnaires included items on demographic characteristics and from the fear of disease progression simplified scale, family hardiness index and Social Support Scale. Univariate and multivariate regression was used to identify predictors of FCR.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 56.4% patients reported high-level FCR, which was similar to the partner-reported proportion. The partners' FCR was positively associated with the patients' FCR, while family hardiness and social support were statistically significant, negative predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions to mitigate partners' FCR and improve family hardiness and social support may help with the psychological adjustment and well-being of myeloma patients.