Fear of cancer recurrence can create poor health outcomes for partners of breast cancer survivors

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is defined as the “fear, worry, or concern relating to the possibility that cancer will come back or progress”. This is increasingly recognized as a significant survivorship concern, and while the vast majority of research aims to examine the experience of FCR among cancer survivors, far fewer studies consider their partners or informal caregivers. This study looks at examining just that. 

Research suggests that without intervention, elevated FCR remains stable and chronic over time and is associated with disruptions in emotional and physical functioning and reductions in quality of life. 

Cortisol fluctuates during times of chronic stress and is influenced by features of the stressor such as the time since the stressor onset, controllability of the stressor, nature of the threat, and stressor-associated emotions elicited over time. Looking at these levels helped researchers measure the stress levels of partners of cancer surviors for the purposes of this study. It was hypothesized that greater levels of FCR near the end of and following the months of breast cancer treatment would also mean a incresed cortisol levels in the partners of survivors. This was supported through the study.