Feeling worried or anxious about breast cancer returning is very common for people who have had breast cancer and can impact on day-to-day activities and planning for the future.
Researchers from the Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, University of New South Wales and University of Sydney are doing a study with the Cancer Council to see whether the interactive online program, iConquerFear, is a useful and practical tool for helping people affected by breast cancer manage fear of cancer recurrence.
Who can participate in the study?
You are eligible to participate in the study if you are:
- 18 years or older
- Have been diagnosed with early breast cancer
- Have completed hospital treatment (i.e. surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy)
Please note – you are eligible to participate if you are currently taking hormone blocking therapy (e.g. tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors)
- Have access to the internet and an email address
What does the study involve?
If you decide to participate in the study, you will be invited to use the online iConquerFear tool over a 10 week period.
iConquerFear has 5 modules in addition to a welcome module and contains written information, interactive exercises, audio recordings and videos of a woman living with breast cancer reflecting on her experience of fear of cancer recurrence and how iConquerFear has helped her to manage. It takes 1-2 hours to complete the activities within each module.
A member of the research team will phone you one week after you start to help with any technical issues you might experience.
As part of the study, you will be asked to complete three online surveys – one when you first sign up to iConquerFear, another 10 weeks later, and a final survey three months afterwards. These surveys will take about 20 minutes each and will help the researchers understand how well iConquerFear is working.
Any research findings that are published will be done in a way that does not identify you, so your use of the iConquerFear tool will be confidential.
How do I participate in the study?
For more information and to participate, visit the Study Website.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr Ben Smith, Principal Investigator, by emailing iconquerfear@unsw.edu.au or ben.smith@unsw.edu.au.
Thank you for considering this opportunity.
