Sébastien Simard

Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) · Siences de la santé / Health Sciences

Objective: Fear of cancer recurrence or progression (FCR) is considered one of the most common unmet needs among patients with cancer. This study sought to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence scale (FCR4/7) and Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Short Form (FCRI-SF). Methods: This study involved t...

Objectives: Theoretical models suggest that anxiety, pain intensity, and pain catastrophizing are implicated in a cycle that leads to heightened fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). However, these relationships have not been empirically examined. The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between anxiety symptoms, pain intensity, pai...

Objective: Care for fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is considered the most common unmet need among cancer survivors. Yet the prevalence of FCR and predisposing factors remain inconclusive. To support targeted care, we provide a comprehensive overview of the prevalence and severity of FCR among cancer survivors and patients, as measured using the s...

Objective Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common and distressing psychosocial concern for adult cancer survivors. Data on this construct in child survivors is limited and there are no validated measures for this population. This study aimed to adapt the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Short Form (FCRI-SF) for survivors of childhood cancer...

Objectives: Diagnosis of cancer is emotionally threatening not only for patients but also for their family caregivers (FC) who witness and share much of the illness experience. This study compares distress experienced by lung cancer patients and their FC during the year following the diagnosis. Methods: A prospective cohort study of 206 patients...

Purpose: Collaboration between family physicians (FPs) and oncologists can be challenging. We present the results of a randomized clinical trial of an intervention designed to improve continuity of care and interprofessional collaboration, as perceived by patients with lung cancer and their FPs. Methods: The intervention included (1) supplying F...

Objectives Validated diagnostic interviews are required to classify depression status and estimate prevalence of disorder, but screening tools are often used instead. We used individual participant data meta-analysis to compare prevalence based on standard Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale – depression subscale (HADS-D) cutoffs of ≥8 and ≥11 v...

Objective: Family caregivers (FCs) of cancer patients often experience high distress. This randomized clinical trial assessed the feasibility and preliminary effects of an intervention to improve FC supportive care. Method: A pragmatic and minimal intervention to improve FC supportive care was developed and pretested with FCs, oncology team, and...

Objective: Two previous individual participant data meta-analyses (IPDMAs) found that different diagnostic interviews classify different proportions of people as having major depression overall or by symptom levels. We compared the odds of major depression classification across diagnostic interviews among studies that administered the Depression s...

Purpose This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in young adults (YAs). Methods YAs diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 15 and 39 in Canada (n = 461), who were currently 19 years or older, completed the Young Adults with Cancer in their Prime (YACPRIME) Study. The Fear of Cancer Recurrenc...

PURPOSE Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a significantly distressing problem that affects a substantial number of patients with and survivors of cancer; however, the overall efficacy of available psychological interventions on FCR remains unknown. We therefore evaluated this in the present systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS We searched...

BACKGROUND: Exercise-based rehabilitation improves physical function, fatigue and quality of life in patients with thoracic neoplasia. However, the implementation of this intervention is limited because of poor accessibility and adherence. Consequently, telerehabilitation is a promising strategy to improve access and adherence to rehabilitation. OB...

Purpose The Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI) is a multidimensional measure for fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the translated Danish version of the FCRI in a population of colorectal cancer patients. Methods The English version of the FCRI was forward–backward translated...

Objective: The Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) is reported to be a normal response to cancer, but little is known about the interaction between FCR and maladaptive cognitive processes, which may increase the risk for depression and anxiety disorders among cancer survivors. Previous studies have shown the influence of rumination on depression and a...

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to develop a Chinese version of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-caregiver (FCRI-c Chinese) and assess the psychometrics of this test in the family caregivers (FCs) of Taiwanese patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). METHODS: An instrument testing study was conducted at a major medical center...

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is one of the most prevalent unmet psychosocial needs. This study aimed to confirm the cultural equivalence, reliability, and validity of the Korean version of Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (K-FCRI). We conducted a forward–backward translation of the English version FCRI to Korean version through meticulous pro...

Distribution of participants and non-participants

Data S1. Supplemental Methods. Table S1. Ventilatory Responses During Rest and the Squat‐Stand Manoeuvres Figure S1. Experimental protocol. Figure S2. Representative resting trace. Figure S3. Representative squat‐stand trace. Figure S4. Absolute cerebrovascular reactivity to CO2.

Background Functional cerebrovascular regulatory mechanisms are important for maintaining constant cerebral blood flow and oxygen supply in heathy individuals and are altered in heart failure. We aim to examine whether pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is associated with abnormal cerebrovascular regulation and lower cerebral oxygenation and the...

Background Family caregivers (FC) often experience higher distress levels than their relative with cancer. Many cancer centers have implemented distress screening programs, but most of them concentrate their efforts on patients, with little attention to their FC. To fill this gap, a pragmatic intervention has been designed to improve supportive car...

Lung cancer is the most frequent type of cancer diagnosed. With a 5-year survival of 17%, such diagnosis is emotionally threatening not only for patients but also for their family caregivers (FC). Studies have reported even higher distress for FC. However, few researchers have focused on this population, particularly in longitudinal surveys. This s...

Objective: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common concern among cancer survivors. Identifying survivors with clinically significant FCR requires validated screening measures and clinical cut-offs. We evaluated the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Short Form (FCRI-SF) clinical cut-off in two samples. Methods: Level of FCR in study 1 parti...

Purpose Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a common experience for cancer survivors. However, it remains unclear what characteristics differentiate non-clinical from clinical levels of FCR. The goal of this study was to investigate the potential hallmarks of clinical FCR. Methods A convenience sample of 40 participants (n = 19 female) was drawn fro...

Cancer patients report that help in managing fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is one of their greatest unmet needs. Research on FCR has been limited by the very few validated, multi-dimensional measures of this construct. One exception is the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI), originally developed and empirically validated in French. The pr...

Background: Exercise-based rehabilitation improves physical function, fatigue and quality of life in patients with lung cancer (LC).However, the implementation of this type of intervention is limited because of poor accessibility.Telerehabilitation is a promising strategy to improve access and adherence to rehabilitation. Aim: To investigate the fe...

Au Québec, l’une des fonctions clés de l’infirmière pivot en oncologie (IPO) est l’évaluation des besoins des personnes atteintes de cancer et de leurs proches. Pour soutenir et guider cette fonction, un cadre de référence intégrateur est proposé. Ce cadre est élaboré à partir de recommandations d’organisations de la santé, de communautés scientifi...

In Quebec, one of the key functions of pivot nurses in oncology (PNOs) is assessing the needs of people living with cancer and their families. An integrative framework is proposed to support and guide this function. This framework has been constructed from recommendations by health organizations, scientific communities and theoretical models of nur...

Background A myocardial infarction (MI) (‘heart attack’) can be intensely stressful, and the impact of this event can leave patients with clinically significant post-MI stress symptoms. Untreated stress can make heart disease worse. Few tools are available that screen for specific thoughts or beliefs that can trigger post-MI stress responses. In ot...

The prevalence of clinical levels of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in cancer survivors is unknown, which may be partly explained by the lack of an assessment method that would make it possible to distinguish between normal and clinical levels of FCR. Moreover, despite the apparent overlap between FCR and manifestations of some psychiatric disorde...

Patients with lung cancer often experience a reduction in exercise tolerance, muscle weakness and decreased quality of life. Although the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation programs is well recognized in other forms of cancers and in many pulmonary diseases, few researchers have studied its impact in patients with lung cancer, particularly i...

Purpose Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is among the most commonly reported problems and one of the most prevalent areas of unmet needs for cancer survivors and their carers. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of current scientific knowledge on FCR and to formulate recommendations for future research. Methods A systematic review w...

The objective of this exploratory study was to evaluate the impact of advanced parental cancer on adolescents' psychological status. A sample of 28 adolescents, having a parent with advanced cancer, was recruited and compared with a sample from the general population (N = 2,346). Late adolescents (age 15 to 18) experienced significantly more psycho...

Background: Fear of disease recurrence is well documented among cancer survivors, but its significance among patients treated for solid pancreatic and periampullary neoplasms is unknown despite the known risk of recurrence associated with these tumors. We hypothesized that fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) represents a common source of psychosocial...

Prior research has shown that many cancer survivors experience ongoing fears of cancer recurrence (FCR) and that this chronic uncertainty of health status during and after cancer treatment can be a significant psychological burden. The field of research on FCR is an emerging area of investigation in the cancer survivorship literature, and several s...

Affiche présentée lors du 34e Congrès de la Société Québécoise de recherche pour la Psychologie. Sherbrooke, Québec.

Affiche présentée lors du 34e Congrès de la Société Québécoise pour la recherche en Psychologie. Sherbrooke, Québec.

289 Background: Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) is well documented among survivors of breast, colon and prostate cancer. Incurable recurrence is common following resection of pancreatic and periampullary neoplasms. The incidence and significance of FCR in this population is unknown. We hypothesized that FCR represents an important source of psychos...

The present study aims to document the frequency of use of hypnotic medication among a large sample of randomly selected patients having been treated for various types of cancer, as well as to identify the sociodemographic, psychosocial, and medical factors that characterize the users of this type of medication. Five thousand patients who had recei...

Screening for Distress is suggested as a first step to optimize response to cancer patients’ needs. This change of practice may positively impact coordination of care, a key function of professional cancer navigators. Aim To describe the perceptions of implementing Screening for Distress with professional cancer navigators from the perspective of k...

Although the fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is to varying degrees almost universal in cancer survivors, few studies have been carried out specifically on this issue partly because of the complexity and the heterogeneity of the phenomenon. To explore the presence of specific profiles of FCR and to describe the nature of intrusive thoughts associate...

Professionally administered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is efficacious for treating insomnia in breast cancer survivors. However, given the limited accessibility to CBT for insomnia in cancer clinics, there is a need to develop other delivery formats for this intervention. This feasibility study examined patients' satisfaction with a self-he...

This study aimed to assess the prevalence, natural course, and risk factors of insomnia comorbid with cancer over a 2-month period. All patients scheduled to receive a curative surgery for a first diagnosis of nonmetastatic cancer were approached to participate in the study on the day of their preoperative visit. As part of a larger population-base...

This pilot study was designed to evaluate the impact of management by the Interdisciplinary Supportive Care Department for Cancer Patients (Département Interdisciplinaire de Soins de Support pour le Patient en Oncologie-DISSPO) at the Institut Curie in Paris, France on patient quality of life and satisfaction with care. Patients hospitalised for ca...

Despite the fact that the fear of cancer recurrence is to varying degrees almost universal in cancer survivors, there is a lack of validated multidimensional instruments to evaluate this issue specifically. The goal of this study was to develop and empirically validate a multidimensional self-report scale for assessing the fear of cancer recurrence...

The aim of this study is to assess if changes in dysfunctional beliefs and self-efficacy precede changes in panic apprehension in the treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia. Subjects participated in a larger study comparing the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring and exposure. Four variables were measured: (a) the strength of each subjec...

Depression is particularly prevalent in patients with advanced cancer. Cognitive therapy (CT) is an empirically supported treatment for depression in the general population. However, efficacy remains to be demonstrated in patients with advanced cancer. A prior controlled trial of CT in a group format showed improvements in depression, mood disturba...

This study compared the prevalence of psychological difficulties (i.e., anxiety and depression), psychophysiological problems (i.e., insomnia and fatigue), and sexual difficulties across three modalities of treatment for prostate cancer (radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and radical prostatectomy). A total of 861 men completed a battery of questionnaire...

Chronic insomnia is highly prevalent in cancer patients. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered the treatment of choice for chronic primary insomnia. However, no randomized controlled study has been conducted on its efficacy for insomnia secondary to cancer. Using a randomized controlled design, this study conducted among breast cancer su...

Cross-sectional studies suggest that clinical insomnia is associated with immune downregulation. However, there is a definite need for experimental studies on this question. The goal of this randomized controlled study was to assess the effect of an 8-week cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic insomnia on immune functioning of breast cance...

Despite the elevated prevalence of insomnia in cancer patients, there is a lack of brief validated instruments for the evaluation of this particular problem in this population. The goal of this study is to empirically validate the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and to evaluate its ability to screen insomnia in 1670 cancer patients. The results suppo...

This study assessed the prevalence, clinical characteristics and risk factors for insomnia in patients treated with radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. A total of 327 patients completed a battery of questionnaires assessing sleep and related issues (i.e. anxiety, depression, fatigue, quality of life). Results indicated that 31.5% of the pati...

Although depression is frequent among patients with advanced cancer, very few studies have been conducted on its treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cognitive therapy for depression in women with metastatic cancer, using a multiple baseline experimental design. Six participants were enrolled in the study and were...

This study examined the relationship between objectively measured nocturnal hot flashes and objectively measured sleep in breast cancer survivors with insomnia. Twenty-four women who had completed treatment for non-metastatic breast cancer participated. All were enrolled in a study of cognitive-behavioral treatment for chronic insomnia. Nocturnal h...

Cancer-related fatigue is the most reported symptom among patients with cancer. Researchers in the field of psychooncology have encouraged the development of short instruments, which allow for easier completion by clinical populations while still maintaining solid psychometric properties. The current study examined the validity and reliability of t...

The goal of this study was to investigate whether clinical insomnia is associated with immune alterations by comparing immune functioning between patients with chronic insomnia and good sleepers. The good sleepers group was composed of 19 adults with a regular sleep schedule and no complaint of sleep disturbances. The insomnia group was composed of...

This study investigated the efficacy of a multimodal cognitive-behavioral intervention for women who had been treated for nonmetastatic breast cancer. Ten participants were enrolled in the treatment protocol in a multiple-baseline design. Intervention time series analyses of daily sleep diary data revealed significant improvements of sleep efficien...

To estimate the prevalence of insomnia, describe clinical characteristics of sleep difficulties, assess the influence of cancer on the insomnia course, and identify potential risk factors involved in the development of insomnia among women who had received radiotherapy for non metastatic breast cancer. A sample of 300 consecutive women who had been...