Poster Presentation Cancer Survivorship Conference 2023

Divide and Conquer Fear: Adapting an intervention for ovarian cancer survivors (#169)

Kyra Webb 1 , Yun Chen 2 , Joanne Shaw 1 3 , Louise Sharpe 1 , Phyllis Butow 1 3 , Haryana Dhillon 1 2 3
  1. School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Centre for Medical Psychology and Evidence-Based Decision Making (CeMPED), School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  3. The Psycho-oncology Co-operative Group (PoCoG), School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Background: Over 50% of people with ovarian cancer report high levels of fear, worry or concern about cancer recurrence or progression (FCR/P). Conquer Fear is an evidence-based psychological intervention to address FCR. While Conquer Fear has demonstrated efficacy in early-stage disease, there is limited research to date evaluating Conquer Fear in advanced cancer populations.

Aim: To determine the acceptability of the Conquer Fear intervention for people with ovarian cancer.

Methods: Participants were recruited through Ovarian Cancer Australia to complete an online survey and interview. Participants completed demographic questions and the Fear of Progression Questionnaire (short-form) (FoP-Q-SF). During the interview, participants reviewed components of the Conquer Fear intervention using a think aloud methodology. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed, and thematic analysis applied.

Results: Twenty-seven ovarian cancer survivors participated. The majority (74%) were diagnosed with stage III-IV disease. Median age was 60 years. Sixty-seven percent of participants met the clinical cut-off (≥36) for FCR/P based on the FoP-Q-SF. Thematic analysis identified six interrelated themes: fear of progression; pre-existing coping strategies; symptom sensitivity; chronic nature of ovarian cancer; follow-up as a safety net and death anxiety. Fears were centralised around disease progression and driven by death-related anxiety. Participants viewed ovarian cancer as chronic, requiring monitoring and ongoing management. Short follow-up periods alleviated feelings of uncertainty around ambiguous symptoms that may be interpreted as evidence of disease recurrence or progression. Participants indicated the intervention would be most useful soon after treatment completion. Concerns regarding time-commitment, relevance to ovarian cancer progression, and feasibility of the included activities such as symptom checking, highlighted the need for intervention modification.

Conclusions: Tailoring of Conquer Fear content will increase acceptability of the intervention for ovarian cancer survivors. Future research to evaluate Conquer Fear in advanced cancer settings is required.