Population-based study of fear of cancer recurrence and health care use in Nova Scotia, Canada

Improvements in diagnosis and treatment have resulted in increases in numbers of cancer survivors. A population-based survey among survivors of breast, melanoma, colorectal, prostate, hematologic, and young adult cancers in Nova Scotia, Canada who were 1-3 years post-treatment investigated prevalence of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). Thirty-eight percent of respondents reported FCR. Younger respondents reported higher levels of FCR compared to older respondents (eg., 66.1% of respondents aged 18-54 years compared with 24.4% of respondents aged 75 year and older). Among female respondents, 44.2% reported FCR, compared with 30.8% of male respondent. Durign 4 years of follow-up, FCR was associated with 22% higher use of primary care (incidence rate ratio 1.22; p<0.0001). No significant differences were found for specialist visits between those with versus without FCR (p=0.366). The authors conclude that FCR is highly prevalent among survivors who completed their cancer treatment, and that FCR is associated with higher use of primary care.