The relationship between cancer patient's fear of recurrence and chemotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to provide an overview of the current evidence available on the link between chemotherapy (CTX) and fear of cancer recurrence (FoR). METHODS: PubMED, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Two authors independently selected and assessed the studies regarding eligibility criteria. Meta-analysis of suitable studies was conducted, and quality rated. RESULTS: Forty eligible studies were included in the systematic review and twenty-nine of them were included in further meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of the available data confirmed a weak relationship between CTX and FoR (29 studies, 30,176 patients, overall r=0.093, 95% CI: 0.062, 0.123, P˂0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analysis demonstrates a weak but significant relationship between cancer patient's FoR and the receipt of chemotherapy. However, these results should be interpreted with caution. Further investigation is warranted to explore possible mechanisms of FoR increase in patients who receive chemotherapy. Longitudinal studies assessing the trajectory of FoR during chemotherapy are also warranted.