Aims: Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) and Fear of Progression (FoP) are recognised as one of the most significant unmet needs of cancer survivors, including melanoma survivors. Emerging research suggests that survivors who receive immunotherapies and targeted therapies may be at increased risk of FCR/FoP. There is scarce research assessing FCR/FoP using validated measures in survivors with advanced disease on novel therapies. The severity of FCR and need to differentiate between FCR and FoP in this population remains unknown. This project aims to 1) screen and assess severity of FCR/FoP in survivors with stage 4 melanoma treated with novel therapies; 2) determine if screening for FCR/FoP is acceptable and relevant to survivors; 3) assess feasibility of screening for FCR/FoP.
Methods: Approximately sixty adults with stage 4 melanoma who are receiving or have previously received immunotherapy and/or targeted therapy and have evidence of a disease response will be screened for FCR and FoP using the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory – Short Form (FCRI-SF) and the Fear of Progression Questionnaire – Short Form (FoP-Q-SF). Survivors will complete a patient experiences survey to assess acceptability. Clinician time to deliver screening will measure feasibility.
Results: Results of the severity of FCR and FoP in survivors with stage 4 melanoma treated with novel therapies will be presented. Acceptability of screening to survivors and clinician feasibility will be presented. It is anticipated that patient surveys will demonstrate that screening for FCR and FoP is acceptable to survivors and feasible.
Conclusions: It is anticipated that the descriptions of severity of FCR and FoP in survivors with stage 4 melanoma on novel therapies will inform the importance of differentiating between FCR and FoP in this population. The results of this project will direct future research to screen for FCR and/or FoP in survivors with advanced disease on novel therapies.