title: Group-based trajectory modeling of fear of disease recurrence among women recently diagnosed with gynecological cancers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fear of cancer recurrence is an important clinical phenomenon and is associated with decrements in life domains. The study goals were to characterize patterns of global fear of recurrence (FOR) and 4 domains of fear (health, role, womanhood, and death worry) over time in women who were diagnosed with gynecological cancer and to identify demographic, medical, and psychological predictors of FOR.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eighteen women participating in the usual care arm of a randomized trial completed the Concerns about Recurrence scale as well as measures of depressive symptoms, cancer-specific distress, coping, coping efficacy, and social network responses at 4 time points. The majority of the sample was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group-based trajectory modeling identified subgroups of women with high-stable (49.1%), high-decreasing (25.3%), and low-stable (25.5%) trajectories for global FOR. For role worries, 3 similar group trajectories were identified. For health worries, modeling identified subgroups with high-decreasing (19.1%) and low-increasing (80.9%) trajectories. For womanhood worries, modeling identified subgroups with high-increasing (15.7%) and low-decreasing (84.2%) trajectories. Young age, metastatic cancer, depression, cancer distress, holding back, and lower coping efficacy were associated with the high-stable global FOR and at least 1 domain of FOR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Almost half of the women recently diagnosed with gynecological cancer evidence persistently elevated FOR over the 6-month period postdiagnosis. Psychological interventions to reduce FOR may be more effective if they focus on teaching patients coping skills, as well as greater comfort expressing cancer-specific concerns to others.
authors.affiliation: Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Manne
authors.affiliation: Temple University Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Myers-Virtue
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.|Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kissane
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ozga
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kashy
authors.affiliation: Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Norman G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Rosenblum
authors.affiliation: Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Carolyn J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Heckman
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000523:psychology*; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012944:Social Support; D013995:Time
keywords: coping with cancer; emotional expressivity; gynecological cancer; psychological adaptation; recurrence fear