Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors and Their Caregivers: A Scoping Review

Yahui Yao; Songyan Zhao; Xi Chen; Mengnan Li; Jia Song; Meiqi Zhang; Shuyuan Lei; Shengli Liu; Na Niu

doi:10.1016/j.soncn.2026.152257

Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors and Their Caregivers: A Scoping Review

Semin Oncol Nurs. 2026 Jun 11:152257. doi: 10.1016/j.soncn.2026.152257. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yahui Yao¹, Songyan Zhao², Xi Chen³, Mengnan Li³, Jia Song¹, Meiqi Zhang¹, Shuyuan Lei¹, Shengli Liu¹, Na Niu¹

Affiliations

¹ Chifeng Clinical Medical College, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Chifeng, China; School of Nursing, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China.
² Chifeng Clinical Medical College, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Chifeng, China; Chifeng Municipal Hospital, Chifeng, China. Electronic address: cfzhaosongyan@163.com.
³ Chifeng Clinical Medical College, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Chifeng, China; Chifeng Municipal Hospital, Chifeng, China.

PMID: 42276886
DOI: 10.1016/j.soncn.2026.152257

Abstract

Objective: Fear of cancer recurrence is a common and distressing concern in survivorship. Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors and their caregivers may be particularly vulnerable, yet the evidence remains fragmented. This scoping review was conducted to map research on fear of cancer recurrence in adolescent and young adult survivors and their caregivers.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley. The last search was completed in November 2025 in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library for English-language studies published from January 2015 to November 2025. Studies were included if fear of cancer recurrence was assessed in adolescent and young adult survivors and/or their caregivers. Two reviewers independently conducted the screening and full-text eligibility assessment.

Results: Sixteen studies were included (12 cross-sectional, three longitudinal, and one qualitative). The Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Short Form was most frequently used, and thresholds for clinically significant/high-level fear of cancer recurrence varied. Among adolescent and young adult survivors, fear of cancer recurrence ranged from 13.0% to 93.3%, with rates above 50% reported in more than half of the studies. Caregiver fear of cancer recurrence was also substantial; high-level fear of cancer recurrence was reported in 62.2% of caregivers in one study, and persistently high trajectories were observed in a subgroup of spousal caregivers. Psychosocial distress (anxiety, depressive symptoms) was most consistently associated with fear of cancer recurrence. Recurrence history and symptom burden were common clinical correlates, whereas demographic associations were inconsistent. Concordance between survivor and caregiver fear of cancer recurrence was reported in dyadic studies.

Conclusions: Fear of cancer recurrence was commonly reported in adolescent and young adult survivors and caregivers and may persist over time. Routine assessment and family-inclusive care may be warranted. Longitudinal and dyadic intervention studies remain limited in this area.

Keywords: Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors; Caregivers; Fear of cancer recurrence; Scoping review; Survivorship.

Publication types

Review