A brief review of the several anxiety-related problems that may arise due to cancer and its treatments.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to cancer.
One may experience anxiety while undergoing a cancer screening test, waiting for test results, receiving a diagnosis of cancer, undergoing cancer treatment, or anticipating a recurrence of cancer. If left untreated, severe anxiety may even shorten a patient's life. Persons with cancer will find that their feelings of anxiety increase or decrease at different times. A patient may become more anxious as cancer spreads or treatment becomes more intense. The level of anxiety experienced by one person with cancer may differ from the anxiety experienced by another person.