Cognitive behavioral therapy for reducing fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) among breast cancer survivors: a systematic review of the literature
Open accessAbstract
Background: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) has been addressed as a cause of emotional distress among breast cancer survivors (BCSs). This study aimed to systematically review the evidence on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) designed to reduce FCR among BCSs. Methods: A systematic review of published original research articles meeting the inclusion criteria was conducted. Five electronic databases, including the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science, were independently searched to identify relevant articles. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 checklist was used to evaluate the quality of the eligible studies. Results: Through a database search and a manual review process, seventeen quantitative studies with an RCT study design were included in the current systematic review. The interventions varied greatly in length and intensity, but the study designs and methodologies were similar. RCTs with face-to-face interventions of at least 1 month seemed to be more effective in reducing FCR outcomes and complying with than the CONSORT 2010 criteria than those with a brief online or telephone format of interventions; nevertheless, most RCT interventions appeared to be effective. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of conducting well-designed CBT interventions to reduce FCR in BCSs with diverse populations at multiple sites, thereby improving the quality of research in this area.
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Systematic and meta-analytic reviews have indicated limited studies on the efficacy of ACT on FOP among cancer patients.
“Systematic and meta-analytic reviews have indicated limited studies on the efficacy of ACT on FOP among cancer patients too.8,13,30”
From A randomized clinical trial: Efficacy of group-based acceptance and commitment therapy program for breast cancer patients with high fear of progression (2024) · cites this paper as [30]
The Results (Content and methodological strategies of the interventions; FCR-related outcomes, pages unavailable) identify two ACT interventions among the studies reviewed and report an FCR outcome for one, supporting the point that ACT evidence is limited. The review examines fear of cancer recurrence chiefly among breast cancer survivors; it does not establish the scope of ACT efficacy studies for fear of progression (FOP) among cancer patients generally. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Fear of Cancer Recurrence or Progression: What Is It and What Can We Do About It?
Bergerot, C. D., Philip, E. J., Bergerot, P. G., Siddiq, N., Tinianov, S., & Lustberg, M. (2022) · American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book · doi:10.1200/edbk_100031 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Review of psychological interventions in patients with cancer
Semenenko, E., Banerjee, S., Olver, I., & Ashinze, P. (2023) · Supportive Care in Cancer · doi:10.1007/s00520-023-07675-w · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Hassani Alimolk, F., McDonald, F. E. J., Asghari‐Jafarabadi, M., Ahmadi, F., Zenoozian, S., Lashkari, M., & Patterson, P. (2024) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.6339 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“8,13,30 Therefore, evaluating the efficacy of ACT on FOP among breast cancer patients can contribute to the existing literature.”
Background
- Authors
- Park, S.-Y., & Lim, J.-W.
- Affiliations
- Ewha Womans University (KR)
- Kangnam University (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Lim, Jung-Won
- Venue
- BMC Cancer
- Published
- 2022-02-28
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 217-217
- ISSN
- 1471-2407 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8883021
- OpenAlex
- W4214606937
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 1.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Cancer (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- National Research Foundation
- Ministry of Education
- National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2018S1A5B5A02032658)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Women's cancer prevention and management
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life
- Keywords
- fear of cancer recurrence, breast cancer survivors, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychological distress, psycho-oncology, intervention effectiveness
- MeSH terms
- Cancer Survivors, Adult, Breast Neoplasms, Fear, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Neoplasm Recurrence, Local, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Treatment Outcome
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