WOMEN across Asia Pacific and the Middle East are living far longer after being diagnosed with early breast cancer, but many still face the fear of the cancer returning, with around one in six experiencing a recurrence within five years after treatment.
A new targeted regional literature review highlights fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) as one of the most prevalent and under-recognised challenges for those who survive cancer, reinforcing calls for it to be addressed as a core part of survivorship care.
Commissioned by Novartis, the targeted literature review consolidates evidence on the psychological, social and informational dimensions of survivorship across eight countries – Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Breast cancer survivor, executive master coach and motivational speaker, Bina Mathews says when treatment ends, a whole new journey is just beginning.
“For me, navigating life after cancer meant every follow-up scan or unfamiliar ache would bring back the worry. For a long time, I avoided speaking about the topic of recurrence because it would raise those fears and felt like tempting fate.”
For many survivors, fear of recurrence can overshadow life after breast cancer, yet it rarely gets the attention it deserves, says global cancer patient advocate and chairperson of the World Health Organisation breast cancer initiative technical working group advocacy committee Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala.
By ensuring fear of recurrence is part of routine survivorship conversations, women can be supported emotionally while also being informed about the treatments and strategies that may help them reduce their risk of recurrence and live well beyond cancer.
Fear of cancer recurrence is one of the most common and distressing concerns faced by breast cancer survivors, yet it remains under-recognised and under-addressed, adds Cancer Institute New South Wales fellow, and senior implementation scientist at the Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney Associate Professor Ben Smith.
“We need to acknowledge fear of recurrence as a core aspect of survivorship care, make it routine to screen and assess how much fear is affecting daily life, and ensure tailored care is available to address mild, moderate and severe fears.”
Routine screening normalises the conversation, assessment clarifies needs, and tailored care ensures people receive the right help at the right time. It prevents people from suffering in silence and makes addressing fear of recurrence a standard part of survivorship care.
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