Investigation and correlation analysis of fear of cancer recurrence and social support after thyroid cancer surgery

WCRJ 2024; 11: e2832
DOI: 10.32113/wcrj_20249_2832

  Topic: Otolaryngology, Palliative and support care     Category:

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between fear of cancer recurrence and the level of social support among individuals who have undergone thyroid cancer surgery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted at our hospital from May 2021 to June 2022 and involved the distribution of 520 questionnaires to postoperative thyroid cancer patients using stratified random sampling. A high response rate of 97.11% was achieved, with 505 completed questionnaires returned. The survey employed a specially designed three-dimensional scale, encompassing aspects of social support (A1-A7), fear of relapse (B1-B7), and disease awareness (C1-C6). This, coupled with patients' medical records and pathological data, formed a comprehensive basis for analysis.

RESULTS: Key findings revealed significant variations in social support, disease awareness, and fear of recurrence across different clinical stages of the patients (p <0.05). The analysis demonstrated that social support exhibited a moderate positive correlation with disease cognition (r=0.602, p <0.001). Conversely, fear of recurrence displayed a mild negative correlation with both social support (r= -0.413, p <0.001) and disease cognition (r= -0.396, p <0.001). Logistic regression identified several independent factors influencing the fear of recurrence, including distant metastasis, clinical stage, risk level, social support, and disease cognition (p <0.005).

CONCLUSIONS: The fear of cancer recurrence in patients’ post-thyroid cancer surgery is inversely related to the degree of social support they receive, thus highlighting the importance of social support as a significant determinant in managing the fear of cancer recurrence.

To cite this article

Investigation and correlation analysis of fear of cancer recurrence and social support after thyroid cancer surgery

WCRJ 2024; 11: e2832
DOI: 10.32113/wcrj_20249_2832

Publication History

Submission date: 03 Apr 2024

Revised on: 29 May 2024

Accepted on: 26 Aug 2024

Published online: 11 Sep 2024