Correlation Between Symptom Experience and Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Postoperative Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective To analyze the relationship between experience of symptoms (e.g., pain, fatigue) and fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in Chinese postoperative patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Methods A total of 225 patients were recruited using convenience sampling. The Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Chinese Version and the Symptom Experience Index were used to collect data. The Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman’s correlation, and multivariate analysis were employed to explore the relationships between symptom experience and FCR. Results The total Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory score in postoperative patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy was 43.19±22.83, and >64.0% of participants exhibited significant fear of cancer recurrence. The total score of symptom experience was 27.41±16.77, including scores of symptom severity (16.91±8.70) and symptom distress (10.50±8.89). Participants’ symptom experience was positively correlated with fear of cancer recurrence (r = 0.353, P < 0.001). Patients with clinically relevant FCR had higher scores for total symptom experience (Z = -3.911, P<0.001), symptom severity (Z = –3.245, P = 0.001), and symptom distress (Z = –4.185, P<0.001), compared to patients without clinically relevant FCR. Symptom experience (b = 0.511, t = 6.474, P<0.001), age (b = –0.591, t = –4.201, P<0.001), and educational level (b = 4.147, t = 3.955, P<0.001) were statistically correlated with FCR, accounting for 27.0% of the variance. Among these variables, symptom experience demonstrated the strongest correlation, with a beta value of 0.371. Conclusion This study followed others in identifying a cross-sectional relationship between symptom experience and FCR. Further prospective research is required to better understand the nature of this relationship.