고려사이버대 유은승 교수팀,국내 암 생존자의 '암 재발 두려움' 실태 규명

A team of researchers from Korea Cyber University led by Professor Un-sung Yu analyzed the prevalence and factors related to cancer recurrence fear (FCR) in 345 domestic cancer survivors. They found that 60.87% of the study participants experienced high levels of recurrence fear, while 31.01% met clinical criteria that could be addressed with specialized evaluations and psychological interventions.

This is higher than the previous meta-analysis of 13 countries and 46 studies involving 9,311 participants, which reported 45.1% and 19.2% prevalence rates for high levels of recurrence fear and clinical-level concerns, respectively. The national study results were 15.77% and 11.81% higher for these rates, with clinical-level concerns being approximately 1.6 times higher.

The researchers discovered that medical and clinical characteristics of the cancer type, stage, and metastasis did not significantly relate to recurrence fear levels. However, age and mental health factors were identified as significant contributors. Younger cancer survivors (under 40) were found to be more likely to experience clinical-level recurrence fear.

The study suggests that psychological and economic uncertainties during major life stages such as education, employment, marriage, childbirth, and child-rearing may play a role in the development of FCR. The presence of mental or physical comorbidities, as well as cognitive characteristics like dysfunctional thinking and overattention to bodily sensations, were also found to increase the likelihood of clinical-level recurrence fear.