For 1 to 6 months, the participants underwent therapist-guided or self-led CBT sessions that lasted 30 to 150 minutes, online or in person, 3 to 12 times per month.

CBT did not reduce the fear of cancer recurrence (the primary outcome; p=0.08) more than the control (standard care or placement on a waiting list).

However, in subgroup analyses, when the CBT was guided by a therapist (rather than self-guided) or delivered face-to-face (vs. online or blended), the fear of breast cancer recurrence was reduced, with large effect sizes.

CBT also improved quality of life (moderate effect size) and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and fatigue (small effect sizes) more than the control.

The risk of bias was high in 5 studies and unclear in 9 studies.

Does CBT reduce the fear of breast cancer recurrence? Original paper