Core Fear of Cancer recurrence symptoms in Cancer Survivors: a network approach.

Purpose: To better understand the multidimensional construct of Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) in cancer survivors, the purpose of this study was to highlight key FCR symptoms and their strongest associations with depression and anxiety comorbidities. This approach is critical for developing effective interventions tailored to cancer survivors. We also investigated whether the network changes its symptom connectivity across different diagnostic and treatment subgroups classified as vulnerable or less vulnerable. Methods. We collected data from 234 cancer survivors (women: 78.20%; mean age: 35.58) who had been diagnosed with cancer, were undergoing cancer treatment, or had completed treatment. In addition to cancer-related data that allowed subgrouping, they completed the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The FCRI is a multidimensional construct that captures symptoms on the spectrum of intrusive thoughts, coping skills, and five others. Networks were estimated using the Gaussian graphical model. Results. The main findings suggest that intrusive thoughts were overall the most influential network symptoms. However, coping skills were central to the network and associated with depression only in the vulnerable subgroups. Conclusions. The present study found that intrusive thoughts were core network symptoms, whereas coping skills and their association with depression were significant only for some subgroups. Implications. Future clinical trials and interventions for FCR should specifically target intrusive thoughts and other repetitive thinking patterns. More research should be conducted to understand the unique characteristics of survivors and their interaction with symptomatology to maximize treatment efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]