Exploring the effects of genomic testing on fear of cancer recurrence among breast cancer survivors

Objective Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is the greatest unmet psychosocial need among breast cancer survivors (BCS). The Oncotype Dx (R) test predicts the 10-year risk of distant recurrence and benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy among women with early stage hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Despite the test's clinical utility, psychosocial responses are poorly understood. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to explore associations between Oncotype Dx (R) test results (Recurrence Score [RS]) and FCR, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), distress, anxiety, depression, illness representation and perceived risk. Bivariate analyses were used to examine the associations between variables followed by multiple linear regression to examine predictors of FCR. Results Greater FCR was associated with higher distress, anxiety, depression, illness representation and poorer HRQOL. BCS's with a high Oncotype Dx (R) RS reported higher overall fear (p = 0.013) and greater perceived consequences of their cancer (p = 0.034) compared to BCS's with a low RS. Using multiple linear regression, anxiety (beta = 0.21, p = 0.016), greater emotional response (beta = 0.45, p < 0.001) and perceived consequences (beta = 0.18, p = 0.039) of illness explained 58% of the variance (p < 0.001) in FCR. Conclusion BCS's with higher risk of recurrence may experience higher FCR. However, for FCR, modifiable factors such as anxiety and illness representation (greater emotional response and perceived consequences of illness) may be more important than non-modifiable factors such as Oncotype Dx (R) test results and age. Further research is needed to develop personalized interventions to improve BCS's outcomes.