Kinesiophobia and Related Factors in Cancer Patients with TIAPs During the Long Term: a Cross-sectional Survey

Objective: This study is designed to investigate the status of kinesiophobia and related factors in cancer patients with totally implantable venous access ports (TIAPs).

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study; all the participants were recruited from the Oncology Department and the Daytime Chemotherapy Center, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, from April 1 to May 31, 2021. The participants were interviewed by researchers using the self-made general information questionnaire and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia-11 (TSK-11) scale, which allows the fear of movement to be quantified. Eligible patients were aged ≥ 18 years, confirmed with cancer, and implanted with a port. The logistic regression model was used to evaluate clinical factors and the risk of kinesiophobia.

Results: A total of 282 patients were recruited (aged 58.0 ± 11.5 years), of which gastrointestinal cancer accounted for 54.6%, breast cancer accounted for 22.7%, lung cancer accounted for 11.3%, and other types accounted for 11.3%. The TSK-11 score of the 282 patients was 17.84 ± 6.06 points, 45.7% of the patients reported mild kinesiophobia (TSK-11 ≥ 18), 18.4% of the patients reported moderate to severe kinesiophobia (TSK-11 ≥ 25), and the highest score reached 34 points. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that exercise habits (P = 0.025), pain (P = 0.023), and foreign body sensation (P = 0.003) were the risk factors of kinesiophobia.

Conclusion: Kinesiophobia is common in cancer patients with TIAPs, and it is closely related to the subjective experience of daily activities, which requires more attention and early intervention to reduce the potential adverse effects.