Protocol - Fear of Cancer Recurrence
Description
This 7-item unidimensional scale is a screening instrument that has been used to assess Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) in cancer patients. The FCR7 consists of 4 items that assess the level of worry about cancer recurrence, 2 items that assess the level of interference of FCR with the patient’s thoughts and activities, and 1 item that assesses patient’s behavioral responses. The final item is a scale that represents the experiences of the level (severity) of patients FCR.
Specific Instructions
The user must first ascertain if the person has been diagnosed with cancer.
Availability
Protocol
Please answer the following questions by placing a tick in any of the boxes for each of the question.
| Not at all | A little | Sometimes | A lot | All the time | |
| Q1: I am afraid that my cancer may recur | [ ] 1 | [ ] 2 | [ ] 3 | [ ] 4 | [ ] 5 |
| Q2: I am worried or anxious about the possibility of cancer recurrence | [ ] 1 | [ ] 2 | [ ] 3 | [ ] 4 | [ ] 5 |
| Q3: How often have you worried about the possibility of getting cancer again | [ ] 1 | [ ] 2 | [ ] 3 | [ ] 4 | [ ] 5 |
| Q4: I get waves of strong feelings about the cancer coming back | [ ] 1 | [ ] 2 | [ ] 3 | [ ] 4 | [ ] 5 |
| Q5: I think about the cancer returning when I didn’t mean to | [ ] 1 | [ ] 2 | [ ] 3 | [ ] 4 | [ ] 5 |
| Q6: I examine myself to see if I have physical signs of cancer | [ ] 1 | [ ] 2 | [ ] 3 | [ ] 4 | [ ] 5 |
| Not at all | A great deal | ||||||||||
| Q7: To what extent does worry about getting cancer again spill over or intrude on your thoughts and activities | [ ] 0 | [ ] 1 | [ ] 2 | [ ] 3 | [ ] 4 | [ ] 5 | [ ] 6 | [ ] 7 | [ ] 8 | [ ] 9 | [ ] 10 |
† FCR4 is sum of first 4 items (Q1 to Q4)
Scoring
The scoring system is ‘1 = not at all’, ‘2 = a little’, ‘3 = sometimes’, ‘4 = a lot’, and ‘5 = all the time’. The 7th item is used to assess the extent to which FCR interferes with the patient’s thoughts and activities and is scored on a 11-point scale, with a ‘0’ indicating ‘not at all’ and ‘10’ indicating ‘a great deal’. For each individual item, a score ≥4 on questions 1 to 6 (ranging from 1 to 5), or ≥7 on question 7 (ranging from 0 to 10) indicates a significant level (severity) of fear of cancer recurrence6.
Although no definite clinically meaningful cut point is available to decide patients' FCR, the single item or total (sum) scores can be used for screening and to identify patients’ severity of FCR. The total score is ranged from 6 to 40, with higher the score indicating higher level of FCR.
Personnel and Training Required
None
Equipment Needs
None
Requirements
| Requirement Category | Required |
|---|---|
| Major equipment | No |
| Specialized training | No |
| Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
| Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | No |
Mode of Administration
Self-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Adult, Senior
Participants
Adults, ages 18 + who have been diagnosed with cancer
Selection Rationale
Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR7) is a screening tool for cancer patients as a basis for providing personalized psychological interventions as it relates to their distress of fear of relapse or cancer recurrence.
Language
English
Standards
| Standard | Name | ID | Source |
|---|
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
Not Applicable
Protocol Name from Source
Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR7)
Source
Fear of Cancer Recurrence – 7 items, School of Medicine, University of St. Andrews and Edinburgh Cancer Centre – Western General Hospital, (Humphries et al.,2018).
General References
Humphris, G. M., Watson, E., Sharpe, M., & Ozakinci, G. (2018). Unidimensional scales for fears of cancer recurrence and their psychometric properties: the FCR4 and FCR7. Health and quality of life outcomes, 16(1), 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-018-0850-x
Yang Y, Cameron J, Humphris G. The relationship between cancer patient’s fear of recurrence and radiotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychooncology. 2017;26:738-46.
Simard S, Thewes B, Humphris G, Dixon M, Hayden C, Mireskandari S, et al. Fear of cancer recurrence in adult cancer survivors: a systematic review of quantitative studies. J Cancer Surviv. 2013;7:300–22. [PubMed]
Thewes B, Butow P, Zachariae R, Christensen S, Simard S, Gotay C. Fear of cancer recurrence: a systematic literature review of self-report measures. Psycho oncology. 2012;21:571–587. doi: 10.1002/pon.2070.
Mitchell AJ, Coyne JC. Do ultra-short screening instruments accurately detect depression in primary care? A pooled analysis and meta-analysis of 22 studies. Br J Gen Pract. 2007;57:144–151.
Protocol ID
320401
Variables
Export Variables| Variable Name | Variable ID | Variable Description | dbGaP Mapping | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PX320401_Fear_Cancer_Recurrence_Afraid | ||||
| PX320401010000 | I am afraid that my cancer may recur | N/A | ||
| PX320401_Fear_Cancer_Recurrence_Examine_Myself | ||||
| PX320401060000 | I examine myself to see if I have physical more | N/A | ||
| PX320401_Fear_Cancer_Recurrence_Extent_Worry_Intrude_Thoughts_Activities | ||||
| PX320401070000 | To what extent does worry about getting more | N/A | ||
| PX320401_Fear_Cancer_Recurrence_Strong_Feelings | ||||
| PX320401040000 | I get waves of strong feelings about the more | N/A | ||
| PX320401_Fear_Cancer_Recurrence_Think_About | ||||
| PX320401050000 | I think about the cancer returning when I more | N/A | ||
| PX320401_Fear_Cancer_Recurrence_Worried_Anxious | ||||
| PX320401020000 | I am worried or anxious about the more | N/A | ||
| PX320401_Fear_Cancer_Recurrence_Worried_Often | ||||
| PX320401030000 | How often have you worried about the more | N/A | ||
Measure Name
Fear of Cancer Recurrence
Release Date
December 17, 2020
Definition
Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR7) is a 7-item self-report measure of patients’ fear of cancer recurrence. This instrument was developed and validated for cancer survivors to assess the emotional distress caused by concern that their cancer will return or progress after anti-cancer treatment.
Purpose
Assessing fear of recurrence (FCR) is crucial for understanding an important psychological state of people diagnosed with and treated for cancer.
Keywords
Cancer outcomes and survivorship, fear of recurrence, cancer recurrence, FCR, Fear of Relapse, FCR7, relapse, recurrence
Measure Protocols
| Protocol ID | Protocol Name |
|---|---|
| 320401 | Fear of Cancer Recurrence |
Publications
There are no publications listed for this protocol.