Anxiety and Cancer

Anxiety What Does It Mean?

Anxiety means feeling uncomfortable, worried, or scared about a real or possible situation. It is important to recognize anxiety and take steps to manage it or prevent it from getting worse.

General Anxiety

In general, anxiety is a common problem for patients with a cancer diagnosis. At different times during treatment and recovery, cancer patients and their family and caregivers may feel fearful and anxious. 

By simply finding a lump, other possible sign or symptom of cancer can cause anxiety and fear. Hearing the doctor return the test results confirming that you have cancer or that the cancer has come back is a reason for anxiety. Fear of treatment, doctor visits, and tests might also cause apprehension (the feeling that something bad is going to happen).

8 Symptoms to Look For

It is normal to feel afraid when you’re sick. People may be afraid of uncontrolled pain, dying, what happens after death, including what might happen to loved ones. And, again, these same feelings may be experienced by family members and friends. Signs and symptoms of anxiety can include:

1. Anxious facial expressions
2. Uncontrolled worry
3. Trouble solving problems and focusing thoughts
4. Muscle tension (the person may also look tense or tight)
5. Trembling or shaking
6. Restlessness, may feel keyed up or on edge
7. Dry mouth
8. Irritability or angry outbursts (grouchy or short-tempered)

What the Patient and Caregiver Can Do?

Cancer patients and caregivers might have signs and symptoms of anxiety. The signs and symptoms might be more serious if they happen most of the day or nearly every day, and they are interfering with daily activities. In these cases, a referral for mental health assessment could be helpful. Keep in mind that sometimes, despite having all the symptoms, a person may deny having these feelings. But if they are willing to admit that they feel distressed or uncomfortable, therapy can often be very helpful

Ways You Can Support a Loved One or Friend:

 Panic Attacks

Panic attacks can be an alarming symptom of anxiety. Panic attacks happen very suddenly and often reach their worst within about 10 minutes. The person may seem fine between attacks but is usually very afraid that they will happen again.

What to Look For

-Shortness of breath or a feeling of being smothered*

-Racing heart*

-Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint*

-Chest pain or discomfort*

-Feeling as if they’re choking*

-Trembling or shaking

-Sweating

-Fear of losing control or “going crazy”

-An urge to escape

-Numbness or tingling sensations

-Feeling “unreal” or “detached” from themselves

-Chills (shaking or shivering) or hot flashes (may involve sweating or facial reddening)

NOTE: *If a person is having any of the first 5 symptoms (marked with *), it can mean an urgent or life-threatening condition. Call 911 or the doctor right away if someone unexpectedly has any of these. These symptoms also can be signs of other, more serious problems such as shock, heart attack, blood chemistry imbalance, collapsed lung, allergic reaction, or others. It’s not safe to assume that they are panic-related until diagnosed by a doctor.