The psychosocial impact of 'scanxiety' on the everyday life of patients after a curative lung cancer treatment - PAUSE

Objectives Lung cancer survivors often suffer from physical, emotional and social long-term effects of diseaseand treatment. Caregivers are also affected by the cancer diagnosis throughout the course of the disease and are frequently burdened by high levels of psychosocial stress. However, little is known about how follow-up care after the completed treatment phase can help to improve long-term quality of life. In the context of patient-centred cancer care, considering the survivors’ and caregivers’ perspectives is an important step toward improving care structures.We therefore explored how lung cancer survivors and their caregivers experience follow-up examinations and their possible psychosocial effects on everyday life in order to shed light on what support is helpful for improving their quality of life. Material and Methods 25 survivors after curative lung cancer treatment and 17 caregivers underwent a face-to-facesemi-structured, audio-recorded interview that was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results Especially burdened cancer survivors and caregivers described recurring anxiety before a follow-upappointment influencing their everyday life. At the same time, follow-up care also provided reassurance of stillbeing healthy and helped regain a sense of security and control until the following scan. Despite possible long-termconsequences in everyday life, the interviewees reported that the survivors ´ psychosocial needs were not explicitly assessed or discussed. Nevertheless, the interviewees indicated that conversations with the physician were importantfor the success of “good” follow-up care. Conclusion Anxiety surrounding follow-up scans, also known as “scanxiety”, is a common problem. In this study, weexpanded on previous findings and found a positive aspect of scans, namely regaining a sense of security and control, which can strengthen the psychological well-being of the survivors and their families. To optimize follow-up care and improve the quality of life of lung cancer survivors and caregivers, strategies to integrate psychosocial care, like the introduction of survivorship care plans or increased use of patient-reported outcomes, should be explored in the future.