The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in patients diagnosed with a small renal mass (SRM) and managed with either active surveillance (AS) or minimal invasive renal cryoablation (CA).
A total of 398 patients with SRMs (263 AS and 135 CA patients) were retrospectively identified across three institutions and invited to complete the Fear of Cancer Recurrence-Short Form (FCRI-SF) questionnaire.
No statistically significant differences in FCRI-SF score were observed between the AS (mean = 10.9, standard deviation [SD] = 6.9) and CA (mean = 10.2, SD = 7.2) (p = 0.559) patients, with the mean scores of both groups being below the suggested clinically significant cut-off of 16. A total of 25% of AS and 28% of CA patients reported sub-clinical or clinical levels of FCR (FCRI-SF score > 16). Within the AS group, a weak negative association between FCR severity and age was observed (r = -0.23, p = 0.006), and a statistically significant difference in FCRI-SF score between patients aged more or less than 73 years (p = 0.009).
FCR levels were comparable between AS and CA patients, suggesting that treatment decisions should prioritise clinical factors. Up to 28% of AS and CA patients report clinically significant FCR, highlighting the importance of considering the possibility of FCR, especially in younger patients.
Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden). 2024 Jul 22*** epublish ***
Rasmine Bak, Theresa Junker, Jørgen B Jensen, Tau Pelant, Rikke N Haase, Robert Zachariae, Tommy K Nielsen
Department of Urology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. ., Research and Innovation Unit of Radiology - UNIFY, SDU, Odense, Denmark; Radiological Research and Innovation Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Urology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark., Department of Urology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark., Department of Urology, Regional Hospital Gødstrup, Gødstrup, Denmark., Department of Urology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark., Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark., Department of Urology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Urology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.