A protocol for an updated and expanded systematic mixed studies review of fear of cancer recurrence in families and caregivers of adults diagnosed with cancer

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Leske, Stuart
Smith, Allan Ben
Lambert, Sylvie D
Girgis, Afaf
Griffith University Author(s)
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2018
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Abstract

Background: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is reportedly common, persistent, associated with significant morbidity and often higher in cancer caregivers than cancer patients. This review will summarise empirical research on FCR to understand its prevalence, severity, correlates, course and impact in families and caregivers of adults diagnosed with cancer, and identify tested interventions that reduce its effects. Methods: This review will include peer-reviewed, empirical, qualitative and/or quantitative studies on fear, worry or concern of patients' cancer returning or progressing among adult family members or caregivers of the cancer patient. It will exclude records reporting no original empirical research on FCR. We will search CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses GLOBAL from 1997 onwards. Pairs of reviewers will conduct independent screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessment. Risk of bias will be assessed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomised studies, the Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Nonrandomized Studies and the questions for qualitative studies in the mixed methods appraisal tool. We will conduct a narrative synthesis of quantitative studies and a thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. Discussion: This review will provide further clarity on the prevalence and severity of FCR in families and caregivers and differences by caregiver and care recipient demographic and medical characteristics. Any intervention studies located may indicate therapies or treatments that could reduce FCR in families and caregivers. Findings are expected to provide guidance for individuals and organisations working to manage FCR in families and caregivers of those with cancer. Systematic review registration: This protocol will be registered with PROSPERO after peer-review.

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Systematic Reviews

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7

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1

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© The Author(s). 2018 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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Oncology and carcinogenesis

Psychology

Science & Technology

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Medicine, General & Internal

General & Internal Medicine

Systematic review

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Leske, S; Ben Smith, A; Lambert, SD; Girgis, A, A protocol for an updated and expanded systematic mixed studies review of fear of cancer recurrence in families and caregivers of adults diagnosed with cancer, Systematic Reviews, 2018, 7 (1), pp. 134

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