Damocles' syndrome revisited: Update on the fear of cancer recurrence in the complex world of today's treatments and survivorship.

Objective/backgroundImprovements in curative treatments for many types of cancer have emerged over the past several decades, resulting in a growing population of long-term cancer survivors - of both adult and childhood cancers. Despite this incredible medical achievement, long-term survivors of cancer face a unique fear: the fear of relapse.MethodsWe conducted a review of the literature for data on fear of relapse among cancer survivors.ResultsThe fear of cancer recurrence is present in survivors of childhood and adult cancers as well as family members and often leads to psychological sequelae.ConclusionLiterature on the fear of cancer recurrence has begun to emerge. However, herein we provide a unique approach through the use of a metaphor: Cicero's story of Damocles' sword. We aim to outline the many fear-related and emotional challenges faced by cancer survivors with an extensive review of studies demonstrating such challenges.