Recent advancements in oncological diagnostics and therapeutic interventions have led to improved survival rates among cancer patients. Subsequently, there is a growing need to address the long-term psychological consequences of the disease. One of the most prevalent and distressing psychological phenomena is the fear of cancer recurrence, which affects approximately 78% of cancer survivors to varying degrees. Fear of cancer recurrence has a detrimental impact on the quality of life and interpersonal relationships. It may negatively influence the engagement with healthcare services, manifesting in reduced compliance and adherence, as well as the overuse or avoidance of various diagnostic procedures, thereby hindering the early detection of a possible recurrence. From the patient's perspective, the fear of cancer recurrence is associated with significant subjective suffering, while from the healthcare system's standpoint, it contributes to increased medical and economic burdens. In recent years, several therapeutic programs have emerged with the aim of reducing the fear of cancer recurrence. This paper presents the ConquerFear Group metacognitive training, a low-threshold intervention delivered over six sessions. The program effectively and in a practice-oriented way teaches patients a set of "meta-level" skills that enables them to understand and regulate common post-traumatic beliefs, cognitive distortions, and attentional narrowing that contribute to the persistent perception of threat following cancer treatment. In addition to outlining the epidemiology and symptomatology of fear of cancer recurrence, the structure and specific features of the ConquerFear Group intervention are described, along with findings from impact studies evaluating its effectiveness. Orv Hetil. 2025, 166(51): 2003-2011.
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