Abstract: Objective: To investigate the disease progression fear in young patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and analyze its correlation with symptom distress after radiotherapy. Methods: Totally 104 young patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who discharged from a hospital in Guangxi province during January 2020 to October 2021 were included by convenience sampling. General information questionnaire, Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form, The M.D.Anderson Symptom Inventory for Head & Neck were used for data collection. Results: The total score of Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form in young patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma was 37.48±10.12, the total score of M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory for Head & Neck was 95.00 (61.25, 147.00). The score of fear of disease progression was positively correlated with pain, fatigue, distress, feeling sad, difficulty in pronunciation or speech (P<0.05). Conclusion: The fear of disease progression in young patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma is at a high level, and it is associated with certain symptoms after radiotherapy. The disease progression fear in young patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma needs more attention in clinic, and corresponding intervention measures according to its characteristics and the related factors are expected to alleviate the fear of disease progression.

Key words: adolescents and young adults; nasopharyngeal carcinoma; disease progression; symptoms distress