How to Deal with fear of cancer recurrence

Many patients with prostate cancer experience a form of anxiety often termed “Fear of Cancer Recurrence”, or short FOR. It means to fear that the cancer is growing again and coming back, after it has been treated and there is no more evidence of disease (also called ‘being in remission ’). FOR typically evokes feelings of anxiety and distress, reducing the overall quality of life for affected patients.
The general unpredictability of cancer recurrence, as well as physical symptoms caused by the cancer treatment, such as sexual problems, urinary symptoms, bowel problems or hormonal symptoms, trigger and intensify FOR and cancer related thoughts in some patients. Going through the process of cancer diagnosis and treatment can have traumatic effects and therefor increase one’s vigilance towards any physical symptom. This increased attention to changes in the body often leads to patients interpreting common, cancer-unrelated symptoms as threatening.
Of course, it is normal to feel more vulnerable after cancer treatment and to worry about your future. Anxiety and distress related to FOR can also be higher before the surveillance consultations and associated medical follow-up exams. You may already have heard the term Scanxiety – feeling nervous, powerless when faced with waiting for unknown and potentially negative results of examinations and tests. This could induce the feeling that you’re not able to actively improve your situation. However, there are many ways for you to become active and fight against your cancer and its impact on your life!