Factors Affecting the Fear of Cancer Recurrence after Surgery for Gastric Cancer Patients: Meta-Analysis

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) among gastric cancer patients following surgery. Methods: From 2016 to July 2, 2025, manual searches, in addition to searches of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Wanfang, VIP, and CNKI, were conducted. Review Manager 5.4.1 software was used to conduct a meta-analysis after two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and evaluated quality. Results: Fourteen studies (2,729 patients) and 31 influencing factors were included. Higher social support was associated with lower FCR (odds ratio (OR) = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.90-0.97, p = 0.003), while disease perception showed no significant association (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.72-1.32, p = 0.85). Self-perceived burden was marginally associated with higher FCR (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.99-1.57, p = 0.06). Discussion: Unlike prior studies that predominantly investigated FCR in other cancer populations, this analysis focused on postoperative gastric cancer patients. Social support was associated with lower FCR, suggesting that social support-based psychological interventions may be applicable to these patients; self-perceived burden was marginally associated with FCR, indicating its potential as an influencing factor. As all included studies were observational, these findings only reflect correlations and require validation in prospective cohort studies. Conclusion: Social support was associated with lower FCR among postoperative gastric cancer patients, and self-perceived burden marginally predicted higher FCR; no other factors yielded significant associations. Screening for these factors during postoperative follow-up may inform individualized psychological interventions, though further prospective studies are required.