Purpose Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common psychological issue in breast cancer (BC) survivors during early survivorship but whether the same is true among long-term survivors has yet to be empirically evaluated. This study investigated FCR level, its associated factors, and impact on quality of life (QoL) in long-term BC survivors. Materials and Methods Participants included women diagnosed with BC between 2004 and 2010 at two tertiary hospitals. Survey was conducted in 2020. The study measured FCR with the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory and other patient-reported outcomes, including depression and cancer-related QoL. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with FCR, and structural equation modeling was conducted to explore the impact of FCR on other outcomes. Results Of 333 participants, the mean age at diagnosis was 45.5, and 46% experienced FCR. Age at diagnosis ≤ 45 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51 to 4.60), shorter time since diagnosis (aOR, 1.75, 95% CI, 1.08 to 2.89), and having a history of recurrence (aOR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.16 to 5.65) was associated with more FCR. FCR was significantly associated with an increased risk of depression (β=0.471, p < 0.001) and negatively impacted emotional functioning (β=–0.531, p < 0.001). In addition, a higher FCR level may impair overall health-related QoL in long-term BC survivors (β=–0.108, p=0.021).ConclusionTen years after diagnosis, long-term BC survivors still experienced a high level of FCR. Further, the negative impact of FCR on QoL and increased depression risk require an FCR screening and appropriate interventions to enhance long-term BC survivors' QoL.

In premenopausal and postmenopausal women undergoing three consecutive biennial mammographic screenings, a consecutive increase in breast density augmented future breast cancer risk whereas a conti... Background Although Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) density classification has been used to assess future breast cancer risk, its reliability and validity are still debated in li...

Women with dense breasts and benign breast disease had an elevated risk of future breast cancer and could benefit from a tailored mammography screening strategy. Background Mammographic breast density and benign breast disease are strong risk factors for breast cancer. Accordingly, women with both risk factors may have a markedly high risk for developing br...

With improvement in hospice palliative care services and long-term care, Republic of Korea (hereafter South Korea) has recorded significant changes in places of death (e.g., hospital, home), especially among older adults. Over the last few decades, the most common places of death in South Korea were hospitals. However, Koreans, especially older adults, reportedly prefer to receive terminal care and eventually die at home. This study was conducted to investigate trends in places of death among older Korean adults and factors associated therewith. Data were obtained from the Korean Death Registration Database maintained by the National Statistical Office. Decedents who died after the age of 65 years from 2001 to 2014 were included in the analysis. For descriptive analysis, proportions of places of death were analyzed and were used to plot graphs for visualizing trends during 13-year period. Logistic regression model was used to evaluate factors associated with places of death (hospital versus home). Two million three hundred fifty eight thousand two hundred eleven older adult decedents were included in final analysis. Hospitals were the most common places of death (57.82%), followed by homes (32.12%). Dying at social welfare facilities was rare (2.61%). A gradual increase in hospital deaths (31.38% in 2001 to 75.30% in 2014) and a subsequent decrease in home deaths (60.44% to 15.95% over the same period) were noted. Hospital deaths were more likely for younger patients (ORs 1.28, 95% CI 1.27-1.29), females (ORs 1.28, 95% CI 1.27-1.29), and single/divorced or widowed individuals (ORs 1.77, 1.49 and 1.03 respectively). A higher education level and living in urban areas were strongly associated with a higher likelihood of dying in a hospital. Over the study period, there was a consistent increasing trend in hospital deaths in South Korea. Trends in place of death and factors associated therewith should be more intensely investigated and monitored. Resources and facilities should be increased to fulfill end-of-life care preferences and the needs of an increasingly older population in South Korea.

The Republic of Korea (hereafter Korea) is one of the countries with high incidence of liver cancer and there is great difference in incidence of liver cancer between male and female. We investigated the sex-specific trends of three major risk factors of liver cancer, which are hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection, hepatitis C virus(HCV) infection, and alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The incidence of liver cancer was obtained from the Cancer Registration Statistics of the National Cancer Center of Korea. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seropositivity was based on data from the 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Disease statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea were used to evaluate trends in HCV infection and alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The prevalence of these risk factors were compared with the incidence of liver cancer. Males had a three to four times higher incidence of liver cancer than females did from 1999 to 2011. This gap between the incidence for males and females increased with age and males aged 50 to 59 showed a five times higher incidence than females of the same age did. In general, HBsAg seropositivity decreased from 1998 to 2011. The prevalence of HCV infections was 96.2 and 90.3 per 100,000 females and males, respectively in 2013. The prevalences of HCV infections from 2009 to 2013 did not substantially differ. The annual average prevalence of alcoholic liver cirrhosis from 2009 to 2013 was 77.22 and 8.90 per 100,000 males and females, respectively; the prevalence among males was 8.7 times higher than that among females. The prevalence rapidly increased with age in males, and males aged 60 to 69 peaked with a 19.2 times higher prevalence than that among females of the same age group. We found that the incidence of alcoholic liver cirrhosis, a major risk factor of liver cancer, exhibited a trend similar to that of liver cancer incidence in males, and this trend also differed remarkably by sex.

We aimed to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) at 1-year post-diagnosis in breast cancer (BC) patients and its association with overall survival using data from the National Cancer Center Hospital. Data of a BC cohort were first obtained between 2004 and 2006 and followed up. HRQOL was assessed using EORTC QLQ-C30 and BC specific module QLQ-BR23 few days after diagnosis and 1 year after that. We examined and compared the difference in the two HRQOL scores measured for each patient by the patient's current survival status. The Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to evaluate the impact of HRQOL on survival, with adjustment for baseline HRQOL and other factors. Of 299 enrolled patients, 206 responded at 1-year post-diagnosis (80.6%) and were followed up for 11.6 years on average. At 1-year post-diagnosis, survivors had better HRQOL scores than those who died, although their health status was similar at baseline. Survivors reported significant increase 1 year after diagnosis in global health status and emotional scales. Between the groups, functional scales such as physical, role, and emotional were significantly different. Functional scales, including physical (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.70), role (aHR, 0.68), emotional (aHR, 0.72), and symptom scales, including fatigue (aHR, 1.34), dyspnea (aHR, 1.29), appetite loss (aHR, 1.24) were significantly associated with overall survival. Patients who were less worried about future health had favorable survival (aHR, 0.83). Besides treatment-related symptoms, non-medical aspects at 1-year post-diagnosis, including functional well-being and future perspective, are predictive of long-term survival. Intervention to enhance physical, role, and emotional support for women soon after their BC diagnosis might help to improve disease survival outcomes afterwards.