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Table of Contents Introduction
Overview
Description and Cause
Treatment
Post-treatment Considerations
Get More Information From NCI
Changes to This Summary (05/15/2008)
Questions or Comments About This Summary
About PDQ
Introduction
This patient summary on anxiety is adapted from a summary written for health
professionals by cancer experts. This and other credible information about
cancer treatment, screening, prevention, supportive care, and ongoing clinical
trials is available from the National Cancer Institute. Anxiety is a normal
reaction to cancer, but it can interfere with a patient's quality of life and
the ability to follow through with cancer therapy. This brief summary
describes the causes and treatment of anxiety experienced by cancer patients.
Anxiety that may arise after cancer therapy has been completed is also
discussed in this summary.
Back to Top Overview
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. Anxiety associated with cancer may increase feelings of pain,
interfere with one's ability to sleep, cause nausea and vomiting, and interfere
with the patient's (and his or her family's) quality of life. 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. Most patients are able to reduce their anxiety by learning more about
their cancer and the treatment they can expect to receive. For some patients,
particularly those who have experienced episodes of intense anxiety before
their cancer diagnosis, feelings of anxiety may become overwhelming and
interfere with cancer treatment. Most patients who have not had an anxiety
condition before their cancer diagnosis will not develop an anxiety disorder associated with cancer.
Intense anxiety associated with cancer treatment is more likely to occur in
patients with a history of anxiety disorders and patients who are experiencing
anxiety at the time of diagnosis. Anxiety may also be experienced by patients
who are in severe pain, are disabled, have few friends or family members to
care for them, have cancer that is not responding to treatment, or have a
history of severe physical or emotional trauma. Central nervous system metastases and tumors in the lungs may create physical problems that cause
anxiety. Many cancer medications and treatments can aggravate feelings of
anxiety.
Contrary to what one might expect, patients with advanced cancer experience
anxiety due not to fear of death, but more often from fear of uncontrolled
pain, being left alone, or dependency on others. Many of these factors can be
alleviated with treatment.
Back to Top Description and Cause
Some persons may have already experienced intense anxiety in their life because
of situations unrelated to their cancer. These anxiety conditions may recur or
become aggravated by the stress of a cancer diagnosis. Patients may experience
extreme fear, be unable to absorb information given to them by caregivers, or
be unable to follow through with treatment. In order to plan treatment for a
patient's anxiety, a doctor may ask the following questions about the patient's symptoms:
- Have you had any of the following symptoms since your cancer diagnosis or
treatment? When do these symptoms occur (i.e., how many days prior to
treatment, at night, or at no specific time) and how long do they last?
- Do you feel shaky, jittery, or nervous?
- Have you felt tense, fearful, or apprehensive?
- Have you had to avoid certain places or activities because of fear?
- Have you felt your heart pounding or racing?
- Have you had trouble catching your breath when nervous?
- Have you had any unjustified sweating or trembling?
- Have you felt a knot in your stomach?
- Have you felt like you have a lump in your throat?
- Do you find yourself pacing?
- Are you afraid to close your eyes at night for fear that you may die in
your sleep?
- Do you worry about the next diagnostic test, or the results of it, weeks in
advance?
- Have you suddenly had a fear of losing control or going crazy?
- Have you suddenly had a fear of dying?
- Do you often worry about when your pain will return and how bad it will
get?
- Do you worry about whether you will be able to get your next dose of pain medication on time?
- Do you spend more time in bed than you should because you are afraid that
the pain will intensify if you stand up or move about?
- Have you been confused or disoriented lately?
Anxiety disorder includes adjustment disorder, panic disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and anxiety disorder caused by other general medical
conditions. Each of these is explained below.
Adjustment Disorder
Adjustment disorder includes behaviors or moods more extreme than expected in a
reaction to a cancer diagnosis. Symptoms include severe nervousness, worry,
jitteriness, and the inability to go to work, attend school, or be with other
people. Adjustment disorder is more likely to occur in cancer patients during
critical times of the disease. These include being tested for the disease,
learning the diagnosis, and experiencing a relapse of the disease. Many cancer
patients can achieve relief from adjustment disorder in several ways, including
receiving reassurance from caregivers, exercising relaxation techniques, taking
medication, and participating in support and education programs.
Panic Disorder
Patients with panic disorder experience intense anxiety. Patients may suffer
shortness of breath, dizziness, rapid heart beat, trembling, profuse sweating, nausea, tingling sensations, or fears of "going crazy." Attacks may last for
several minutes or several hours and are treated with medication. Symptoms of
panic disorder may be very similar to other medical conditions.
Phobias
Phobias are ongoing fears about or avoidance of a situation or object. People
with phobias usually experience intense anxiety and avoid situations that may
frighten them. Cancer patients may fear needles. They may also fear small
spaces and avoid having tests in confined spaces, such as magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) scans.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder has persistent thoughts, ideas, or
images (obsessions) that are accompanied by repetitive behaviors (compulsions).
Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder may be unable to follow through
with cancer treatment because they are disabled by thoughts and behaviors that
interfere with their ability to function normally. Obsessive-compulsive
disorder is treated with medication and psychotherapy. Obsessive-compulsive
disorder is rare in patients with cancer who did not have the disorder before
being diagnosed with cancer.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The diagnosis of cancer may cause a person who has previously experienced a
life-threatening event to relive the trauma associated with that event.
Patients with cancer who have post-traumatic stress disorder may experience
extreme anxiety before surgery, chemotherapy, painful medical procedures, or
bandage changes. Post-traumatic stress disorder is treated with psychotherapy.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Patients with generalized anxiety disorder may experience extreme and constant
anxiety or unrealistic worry. For example, patients with supportive family and
friends may fear that no one will care for them. Patients may worry that they
cannot pay for their treatment, although they have adequate financial resources
and insurance. Generalized anxiety disorder may happen after a patient has
been very depressed. A person who has generalized anxiety may feel irritable
or restless, have tense muscles, shortness of breath, heart palpitations,
sweating, dizziness, and be easily fatigued.
Anxiety Disorder Caused by Other General Medical Conditions
Patients with cancer may experience anxiety that is caused by other medical
conditions. Patients who are experiencing severe pain feel anxious, and
anxiety can increase pain. The sudden appearance of extreme anxiety may be a
symptom of infection, pneumonia, or an imbalance in the body's chemistry. It
may also occur before a heart attack or blood clot in the lung and be
accompanied by chest pain or trouble breathing. A decrease in the amount of oxygen that the blood is able to carry may also make the patient feel as though
he or she is suffocating; this can cause anxiety.
Anxiety is a direct or indirect side effect of some medications. Some
medications can cause anxiety, while others may cause restlessness, agitation, depression, thoughts of suicide, irritability, or trembling.
Certain tumors may cause anxiety or produce symptoms that resemble anxiety and
panic by creating chemical imbalances or shortness of breath.
See the following PDQ summaries for more information:
Back to Top Treatment
It may be difficult to distinguish between normal fears associated with cancer and abnormally severe fears that can be classified as an anxiety disorder.
Treatment depends on how the anxiety is affecting daily life for the patient.
Anxiety that is caused by pain or another medical condition, a specific type of tumor, or as a side effect of medication, is usually controlled by treating the
underlying cause.
Treatment for anxiety begins by giving the patient adequate information and
support. Developing coping strategies such as the patient viewing his or her
cancer from the perspective of a problem to be solved, obtaining enough
information in order to fully understand his or her disease and treatment
options, and utilizing available resources and support systems, can help to
relieve anxiety. Patients may benefit from other treatment options for
anxiety, including: psychotherapy, group therapy, family therapy, participating
in self-help groups, hypnosis, and relaxation techniques such as guided imagery (a form of focused concentration on mental images to assist in stress
management), or biofeedback (a method of early detection of the symptoms of
anxiety in order to take preventative action). Medications may be used alone
or in combination with these techniques. Patients should not avoid
anxiety-relieving medications for fear of becoming addicted. Their doctors
will give them sufficient medication to alleviate the symptoms and decrease the
amount of the drug as the symptoms diminish.
Studies show that antidepressants are effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Children and adolescents being treated with antidepressants, however, have an increased risk of suicidal thinking and behavior. See the Treatment section of the PDQ summary on Depression for more information.
Back to Top Post-treatment Considerations
After cancer therapy has been completed, a cancer survivor may be faced with
new anxieties. Survivors may experience anxiety when they return to work and
are asked about their cancer experience, or when confronted with
insurance-related problems. A survivor may fear subsequent follow-up examinations and diagnostic tests, or they may fear a recurrence of cancer.
Survivors may experience anxiety due to changes in body image, sexual dysfunction, reproductive issues, or post-traumatic stress. Survivorship programs, support groups, counseling, and other resources are available to help
people readjust to life after cancer.
See the following PDQ summaries for more information:
Back to Top Get More Information From NCI
Call 1-800-4-CANCER
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615. The call is free and a trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
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The NCI's LiveHelp® online chat service provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
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- NCI Public Inquiries Office
- Suite 3036A
- 6116 Executive Boulevard, MSC8322
- Bethesda, MD 20892-8322
Search the NCI Web site
The NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. For a quick search, use our “Best Bets” search box in the upper right hand corner of each Web page. The results that are most closely related to your search term will be listed as Best Bets at the top of the list of search results.
There are also many other places to get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Hospitals in your area may have information about local and regional agencies that have information on finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems related to cancer treatment.
Find Publications
The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
Back to Top Changes to This Summary (05/15/2008)
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Editorial changes were made to this summary.
Back to Top Questions or Comments About This Summary
If you have questions or comments about this summary, please send them to Cancer.gov through the Web site’s Contact Form. We can respond only to email messages written in English.
Back to Top About PDQ
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one method of treating symptoms is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. Some patients have symptoms caused by cancer treatment or by the cancer itself. During supportive care clinical trials, information is collected about how well new ways to treat symptoms of cancer work. The trials also study side effects of treatment and problems that come up during or after treatment. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients who have symptoms related to cancer treatment may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
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