Rädsla för recidiv är vanligt förekommande bland patienter som genomgått cancersjukdom. Det är viktigt att sjuksköterskan har kunskaper om hur rädslan för recidiv kan påverka hälsan för att kunna stödja dessa patienter på ett tillfredsställande sätt. Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva patienters upplevelser av rädslan för recidiv efter genomgången cancersjukdom. Tio resultatartiklar som motsvarade studiens syfte granskades och sammanställdes. Genom att kondensera innehållet framkom i databearbetningen tre kategorier som bildade resultatet: Rädsla för recidiv underhålls av återkommande påminnelser, Rädsla för recidiv skapar emotionell och existentiell sårbarhet och Rädsla för recidiv påverkar livskvalitén. I litteraturstudiens resultat identifierades flera faktorer som utlöste patienters rädsla för recidiv. Dessa faktorer var uppföljningsbesök, media, historier om andras cancersjukdom och kroppsliga förändringar. I resultatet framkom också patienters tankar och känslor som gav dem en emotionell och existentiell sårbarhet. Rädslan för recidiv påverkade i hög utsträckning patienternas livskvalité och hade negativ inverkan på deras hälsa. Det är av stor vikt att sjuksköterskan uppmärksammar faktorer hos patienter som kan associeras med rädsla för recidiv och mer forskning krävs om hur sjuksköterskan kan stödja dessa patienter på ett adekvat sätt. / Fear of recurrence is a common issue among patients who have had cancer. It is important that the nurse has knowledge of how the fear of recurrence can affect healthin order to be able to support these patients in a satisfactory manner. The purpose of the literature study was to describe patients' experiences of the fear of recurrence after having cancer.Ten articles that matched the purpose of the study were reviewed and compiled. By condensing the content, the data processing revealed three categories that formed the result: Fear of recurrence is maintained by recurring reminders, fear of recurrence creates emotional and existential vulnerability andfear of recurrence affects the quality of life. In the results of the literature study, several factors were identified that triggered patients' fear of recurrence. These factors were follow-up visits, media, stories of other people's cancer and bodily changes. The result also showed patients' thoughts and feelings that gave them an emotional and existential vulnerability. The fear of recurrence greatly affected the patients' quality of life and had a negative impact on their health. It is of great importance that the nurse draws attention to factors in patients who can be associated with fear of recurrence and more research is needed on how the nurse can adequately support these patients.

Background: With advances in medical treatments, the numbers of cancer survivors have grown considerably over recent years. Following completion of cancer treatment, patients can experience a range of physical and psychological difficulties, particularly around critical transition phases such as adjustment to survivorship. One of the most common difficulties cited by cancer survivors is that of fear of cancer recurrence (FOR). Existing treatments for improving psychological wellbeing in this population appear to offer limited efficacy, and there are very few interventions directly targeting FOR. Acceptance-based approaches, with an underlying aim of improving psychological flexibility, offer one novel alternative approach to addressing these difficulties. Methods: This thesis presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature in relation to the effectiveness of acceptance-based interventions for post treatment cancer survivors, with a particular focus on Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI). A cross sectional questionnaire study is then reported which explores the potential role of psychological flexibility in mediating the relationship between FOR and distress and quality of life (QoL)outcomes. Results: The findings of the review offer tentative support for the effectiveness of MBI in reducing stress and depressive symptoms, while less convincing results emerged for anxiety. Results from the empirical study suggest that while psychological flexibility does not appear to significantly mediate the impact of FOR on distress and QoL, value based living and cognitive fusion did emerge as significant mediating variables within these relationships. Conclusions: Findings suggest that acceptance-based approaches, may be of benefit in reducing the burden of distress and improving the lives of cancer survivors. Supporting cancer survivors to become less entangled with their thoughts and live in accordance with their values may be particularly beneficial. Further studies using larger samples and longitudinal designs are warranted.

Improvements in the medical field have given many cancer patients and survivors better odds of long-term survival. As more patients become survivors, the demand for psychological treatment becomes greater. The most prevalent concern of survivors is getting help with a psychosocial condition known as fear of recurrence (FOR). Prior to this study, few researchers had explored how having a more aggressive cancer influences the development of FOR. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether cancer stage and type (a measurement of severity) are predictive of FOR development in the high-risk cancer groups lung and bronchus and female breast. The theoretical framework guiding this research was based on Mishel's theory of uncertainty in illness, which states that uncertainties about illness recurrence can cause survivors to experience breakdown in their lives (whether psychological and/or physical). The fear of cancer recurrence inventory (FCRI) survey was administered to 97 lung and bronchus and female breast cancer survivors; the survivors were asked to rate their level of discomfort about the possibility of a cancer recurrence. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results indicated that cancer type and severity both impacted the development and severity of FOR in lung and bronchus and female breast cancer survivors. Furthermore, regardless of the cancer type, stage of cancer, age of the survivor, or years in remission, survivors reported clinical levels of FOR in all areas of concern. Practitioners can use the current findings to work towards developing better intervention and treatment programs that promote quality survivorship and reduce the risk and rate of FOR in high risk cancer populations.