Assessing the fear of recurrence using the Cancer Worry Scale in a sample of Italian breast cancer survivors
Abstract
Purpose The fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is one of the most reported problems by cancer survivors. A valid instrument to detect this issue could be useful to identify cancer survivors who are more vulnerable to developing FCR and related adverse outcomes (e.g., anxiety). The present study aimed to evaluate FCR in a sample of Italian breast cancer survivors using an Italian version of the 8-item Cancer Worry Scale (CWS) in order to establish a cut-off for the use in clinical settings. Methods The participants were 119 breast cancer survivors (mean age 47.7 years) at least 1 year after their primary treatment. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of CWS, internal reliability of CWS, concurrent and divergent validity using a bivariate correlation between the key measures of the study (i.e., FCR, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and self-efficacy), and ROC analysis of CWS were performed. Results Fit indices for the EFA were considered acceptable and showed a two-factor structure-labeled cancer worries and worries impact. The reliability of the two factors showed a Cronbach's alpha coefficient greater than 0.90. The CWS was positively related to anxiety, depression, fatigue, and negatively related to perceived self-efficacy. The best cut-off score was 24 versus 25, with a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 85%. Conclusions The CWS is a valid questionnaire to assess FCR among breast cancer survivors. The present study provides an overview of the relationship between CWS and th…
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Perceived self-efficacy is positively associated with cancer patients' quality of life and negatively associated with distress.
“Studies suggest that perceived self -efficacy is positively associated with cancer patients' quality of life and negatively associated with distress. 34-36”
From How do mindfulness-based interventions promote coping and self-efficacy in patients with cancer: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative data (2024) · cites this paper as [34]
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Re‐validation and screening capacity of the 6‐item version of the Cancer Worry Scale
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Heinen, J. M., Laing, E. M., Schäffeler, N., Bäuerle, A., Krakowczyk, J. B., Schug, C., Ziesemer, S. K., Teufel, M., Erim, Y., Zipfel, S., et al. (2024) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.6350 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Vandraas, K., Reinertsen, K. V., Smedsland, S., Bøhn, S., Kiserud, C., Falk, R. S., & Lie, H. C. (2023) · Acta Oncologica · doi:10.1080/0284186x.2023.2224052 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
- Authors
- Chirico, A., Vizza, D., Valente, M., Iacono, M. L., Campagna, M. R., Palombi, T., Alivernini, F., Lucidi, F., & Bruno, F.
- Affiliations
- Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Bruno, Francesco
- ORCID
- Venue
- Supportive Care in Cancer
- Published
- 2021-11-30
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 2829-2837
- ISSN
- 0941-4355 (ISSN-L)
- 1433-7339
- OpenAlex
- W3214854566
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3
- FWCI
- 0.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Supportive Care in Cancer (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Women's cancer prevention and management
- Keywords
- fear of cancer recurrence, breast cancer survivors, Italian adaptation, psychometric validation, anxiety, depression, fatigue, self-efficacy, cut-off values, questionnaire reliability and validity
- MeSH terms
- Cancer Survivors, Anxiety, Breast Neoplasms, Fear, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Neoplasm Recurrence, Local, Surveys and Questionnaires, Reproducibility of Results
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