Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1449614535, Iran.
Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, 8049 Bodø, Norway.
Curr Oncol. 2023 Jul 16;30(7):6720-6733. doi: 10.3390/curroncol30070493.
Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), as a commonly reported problem among prostate cancer survivors, has not been fully understood. This study aimed to explore the experience of FCR and relevant coping strategies among Iranian prostate cancer survivors.
Qualitative research was conducted on 13 men who completed treatments for prostate cancer in the last 24 months. The participants were selected through purposeful sampling, and in-depth semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Conventional content analysis was used for data analysis.
Data analysis led to the emergence of three themes. "Living with insecurity" describes the participants' experiences regarding what triggers FCR with two categories, including "fear of incomplete cure" and "fear of cancer return." In addition, "struggling to cope" with two categories, including "psychological strategies" and "spiritual coping," presents coping strategies used by the participants for reducing FCR. Furthermore, "trying to prevent cancer recurrence" with two categories, "seeking health" and "lifestyle modification," indicates coping strategies used by the participants to prevent cancer recurrence.
Healthcare providers need to consider the cultural characteristics of prostate cancer survivors when assessing their FCR, encourage them to disclose their concerns and fears, and provide tailored interventions in order to reduce FCR among them.
作为前列腺癌幸存者中常见的问题，对癌症复发恐惧（Fear of cancer recurrence，FCR）尚未得到充分理解。本研究旨在探讨伊朗前列腺癌幸存者的 FCR 体验和相关应对策略。
对 13 名在过去 24 个月内完成前列腺癌治疗的男性进行了定性研究。参与者通过目的抽样选择，采用深入的半结构化访谈进行数据收集。采用常规内容分析法进行数据分析。
数据分析产生了三个主题。“生活在不安之中”描述了参与者对触发 FCR 的经历，包括“担心治疗不彻底”和“担心癌症复发”两个类别。此外，“努力应对”包括“心理策略”和“精神应对”两个类别，提出了参与者用来减轻 FCR 的应对策略。此外，“试图预防癌症复发”包括“寻求健康”和“生活方式改变”两个类别，表明了参与者用来预防癌症复发的应对策略。
医疗保健提供者在评估前列腺癌幸存者的 FCR 时需要考虑到他们的文化特征，鼓励他们公开自己的担忧和恐惧，并提供量身定制的干预措施，以减少他们的 FCR。
