Grant: Project Grant

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada and is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with a 19% 5-year survival rate. Advances in immunotherapy (IMT) and targeted therapy have slowed the progression of disease and improved survival time for many patients. However, this leaves a significant number of patients anxious and uncertain about when treatments will stop being effective and the disease will inevitably progress. Fear of Cancer Progression (FOP) is "the fear, worry, or concern about cancer returning or progressing". There is limited research on the experience of and factors associated with FOP in patients receiving IMT and targeted therapy, the future of oncology treatment. Although FOP is a rationale and appropriate response, excessive or clinical FOP is associated with psychological distress and increased healthcare costs. The goal of the present project is to test a model of FOP we previously validated with early stage cancer patients with 150 advanced or metastatic lung cancer patients living with IMT or targeted therapy. Participants will be recruited from The Ottawa Hospital via letters sent on behalf of their treating oncologist. They will complete validated measures of FOP and illness uncertainty, symptom burden, and death anxiety. Additionally, to gain an in-depth understanding of FOP experiences among our participants, we will invite 20-30 participants to complete a semi-structured interview. Participants will be selected based on their answers on the FOP measure to have clinical FOP. Attention will also be paid to issues of diversity (gender, racial identity, age). This project will be the first to quantify the prevalence and severity of FOP in this population. This data can be used to advocate for adequate screening and intervention. This project will also be the first to validate a model of FOP among advanced cancer patients, which will inform to the creation of novel psychological interventions.