Fear of cancer recurrence in adolescent patients with malignant bone tumors: A cross-section survey

Aim: To investigate the current status and factors influencing fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) related to malignant bone-tumors in adolescent patients. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Methods: In total, 269 adolescent malignant-bone tumor cases were treated at two hospitals in Zhejiang Province, China from January 2023to December2023. Patients completed a General Information Questionnaire, Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), Family Hardiness Index (FHI), and a Simple Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). Results: The total FoP-Q-SF score for adolescent malignant-bone tumorpatients was 33.07 ± 5.85, with 122 (45.4%) patients scoring ≥ 34; the FHI score was 57.88 ± 5.01; and the total SCSQ score was 32.14 ± 3.43. Pearson’s correlation analyses showed that family resilience and positive coping negatively affected FoP in patients, with total effect values of -0.559 and -0.468 (P < 0.001), respectively, and negative coping positively affected FoP in patients, with a total effect value of 0.483 (P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that per capita-monthly family income, disease duration, tumor stage, family hardiness, a positive coping score, and a negative coping score were the main factors influencing FCR in these patients (P < 0.05). Conclusions: FCR in malignant-bone tumor adolescent patients is profound. Healthcare professionals should develop targeted interventional strategies based on the identified factors, which affect these patients; helping patients increase family hardiness, helping patients to positively adapt, and avoid negative coping styles.