537 Background: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a prevalent concern among patients with breast cancer, yet limited data exist on its correlation with overall survivorship. This cross-sectional study assesses the demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, and psychosocial factors associated with elevated FCR after treatment for breast cancer. Methods: Survey participants were drawn from the Chicago Multiethnic Epidemiologic Breast Cancer Cohort, a longitudinal study of patients with breast cancer diagnosed and treated at UChicago Medicine. Between July and September 2023, participants completed the 9-item Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Short Form (FCRI-SF), which has a total score of 36. A score of 22 or higher indicates clinically significant FCR (csFCR). Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for factors associated with csFCR. Linear regression was used to examine factors associated with continuous FCR scores. Results: Of 1,390 stage I-III participants (1384 female 99.6%; mean SD age, 63.1 11.7 years; mean SD time since diagnosis, 9.1 6.0 years), csFCR was reported by 262 (18.8%) participants. In adjusted models, csFCR was associated with having a prior recurrence (aOR, 4.27; 95% CI, 1.65–11.08), having another malignant cancer excluding non-melanoma skin (aOR, 3.09; 95% CI, 1.77–5.39), and greater levels of social isolation/stress (aOR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.68–2.48). Older age at diagnosis (aOR, 0.59 per 10-year increment; 95% CI, 0.51–0.70) and higher physical functioning (aOR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.68–1.02) were associated with lower odds of csFCR. Similar patterns were observed with continuous FCR scores: older age at diagnosis (β = -1.88; 95% CI, -2.26 to -1.50), prior recurrence (β = 4.65; 95% CI, 1.93 to 7.38), having another malignant cancer excluding non-melanoma skin (β = 3.88; 95% CI, 2.44 to 5.32), greater levels of social isolation/stress (β = 2.77; 95% CI, 2.32 to 3.23), and advanced AJCC stage at diagnosis ( p -trend = 0.007). No significant associations were found for insurance type, estrogen receptor status, or unmet home care needs after adjustment. Additionally, FCR scores were similar across racial groups and subgroups defined by education level, marital status, income, English proficiency, and religion. Conclusions: Nearly 1 in 5 participants reported csFCR. Key risk factors included younger age at diagnosis, history of recurrence, other malignancies, reduced physical functioning, and greater levels of social isolation/stress. These findings highlight the need for targeted psychosocial interventions in survivorship care for all breast cancer patients.
Jamal et al. (Wed,) studied this question.