Practical Tips for Managing Scanxiety During your Cancer Treatment

What is scanxiety?

Scanxiety is a term used to describe anxiety cancer patients and survivors experience surrounding imaging tests. It can be related to scans used to screen, diagnose, stage or monitor cancer.  It can occur before, during or after the scan as you wait for the results.  It likely will look different on each of us, but we can think of it as defined by four categories of symptoms:

• Emotions:

  • Stress

  • Nervousness

  • Fear

  • Panic

  • Irritability

  • Agitation

  • Overwhelm

• Body sensations

  • Shallow, rapid breathing

  • Muscle tension

  • Restlessness

  • Trouble sleeping

  • Poor concentration

• Behavior:

  • Avoidance- avoiding scheduling/cancelling a scan, avoiding results or follow up, avoiding support

  • Reassurance seeking – asking lots of questions, seeking validation

• Cognitons (Worrying Thoughts):

  • “I am not responding treatment.”

  • “There are no more treatments for me.”

  • “I cannot handle more bad news.”

  • “This is hopeless.”

You may be thinking “Great there is a word for how I feel, so it must not be too abnormal.”

How common is scanxiety?

Scanxiety is really common!

Studies vary based on how scanxiety is measured.  However, a recent study indicated that over 70% of cancer patients experience clinically significant scanxiety (Shah et al., 2025).  We know that anxiety usually  peaks while waiting for results and the length of scan-to-result leads to significantly more anxiety.  I also find it helpful to share that patients often feel as though scanxiety improves throughout their cancer journey (Bui et al., 2021). 

Just because it is common does not mean suffering is inevitable.  There are things that we can do to help.

Tips and Tricks for Managing Scanxiety

It is helpful to think about what we can do to ease your distress throughout the whole scan process.

Practical Tips for Before Your Scan:

• Ask questions: These will be dependent on you and where you are in your journey.  However, it may include asking about scan spefics (Where is it? How long does it take), results information (How will I receive my results? Will you call me? Time frame?), and treatment plan (If this were to show growth, do we have a plan?).

• Schedule mindfully: Know yourself! If you are a morning person, by all means be the first in the door.  If you are at your best after your morning workout, keep that in mind. Be cognizant of your scan timing relative to your follow up appointment.

• Consider pain: Some patients who struggle with pain may find this pain more difficult while laying down for a scan. Make sure to communicate pain concerns with your team and come up with a plan that will work for you.

Practical Tips for During Your Scan:

• Distraction: Bring a book, play a game on your phone, listen to music while you wait. The idle mind tends to wander.

• Be as cozy as possible: Wear comfy clothes and things that you find to be soothing.

• Support: Bring someone who is going to be helpful to you. Be honest about who your best support people are for this. We want them to help you and you not have to manage their anxiety.

• Mindful breathing: A simple and effective meditation technique focused on observing inhalation and exhalation and the sensations of the natural rhythm of your breath.

• Guided imagery: A simple meditation techniques that allows you relax and take your brain on vacation.

• Ask questions and communicate with the team: Do not be afraid to ask for what might be helpful for you. Is it helpful to know how much is left or receive updates on your progress? Are you cold or do you dislike the music being played? The team is hear to help and they want to make this as smooth as a process for you as possible.

Practical Tips for After Your Scan:

• Have a plan for the day: Many patients find it helpful to have a plan for what they are going to do after their scan. It does not have to be something big, but I recommend having something aside from your scan on your calendar for the day.

• Reward yourself: Get yourself a little treat.

• Remember the scan workflow: It can be helpful to remind yourself how you will get your results, general timelines of scans, and the next steps you have discussed with your team.

• Stay connected: It can be tempting to isolate, but patients often feel better when they connect with family or friends. We are not talking about a dinner party! A simple text or phone call can leave you feeling less alone.

• Lean into what matters most to you: Not quite sure what that is – we can figure it out together.

• Scans are part of the solution: It can be helpful to re-frame scans as not identifying the problem, but being the first step of the solution.  Weather you scan or not, the problem is still there.  Scans allow us to move forward!

If you are sick of riding the scanxiety roller coaster and want to gain a bit more control, reach out!