Scanxiety: waiting for scans and results

Studies have measured worry from weeks before a scan right up to the day. For many people it builds as the date gets close.

You might notice

• Being short-tempered
• Thinking about the scan when you wake up
• Trouble sleeping
• Trouble concentrating

Some people find the scan itself hard: tight spaces, noise, lying still, or pain while positioned. Pain during the scan was linked with more scanxiety in research.

Staying busy and focusing on what you can control can help while you wait for results.

In some studies, worry dropped after the scan. Even with good news, some people feel drained or shaky for a while.

Many people find uncertainty one of the hardest feelings to sit with. Your mind tries to fill the gap, often with the worst outcome.

Follow-up visits and tests are common triggers for fear of cancer coming back, even years later.

Anxiety can show up as a racing heart, headaches, or trouble sleeping or concentrating. If you notice these, talk to your doctor.

In the first years after treatment, follow-up visits are often every 3 to 4 months. That means the cycle of waiting can repeat many times.

You might ask

• Could the results appear in my patient portal before we talk?
• Could my results appointment be soon after the scan?
• When should I expect results?
• Who will tell me, and how?

• A film or series you love
• A walk with a friend
• Cooking or gardening
• Something with your hands, like a puzzle or crafts

Being active and doing things can help you focus on something other than cancer and the worries it brings.

Some people want lots of check-ins. Others want no one to mention it until results are in. Tell people which you prefer.

• “Please check in the night before.”
• “I’d rather not talk about it until I know.”
• “Could you come with me?”

Give worry 15 minutes a day at a set time. When it shows up at other times, note it and tell it, “Later.” In your window, write the worries down and then close the notebook.

1. Breathe in slowly, letting your belly rise.
2. Breathe out slowly and let your muscles go loose.
3. Keep a steady rhythm, counting in your head: “In, one, two. Out, one, two.”
4. If your mind wanders, gently come back to the count.

Close your eyes and picture a place or activity that made you happy. Fill in the details: colors, sounds, smells.

• Ask how long it will take
• Ask how to get their attention during the scan
• Ask if you can listen to music
• Tell them if lying still is painful

• A favorite meal
• A walk somewhere you love
• Calling someone who makes you laugh
• A quiet rest with no plans

Focus on your breathing or body sensations. When your mind wanders to the results, gently bring it back. You can practice while walking, waiting in line or eating.

If results might appear online, decide ahead of time how you want to see them. Some people want to know straight away. Others prefer to wait and hear them with their doctor, or open them with someone beside them.

Searching online or checking your body over and over can feel like doing something, but it often keeps worry going. In research, information on its own did not reduce scanxiety.

Programs that mixed information with emotional support reduced scanxiety. Talking with people who understand counts too.

• A friend or family member
• A cancer helpline
• A support group
• Other survivors who know the wait

You may feel a rush of relief, then sudden tiredness. That is your body letting go of stress.

Sometimes a scan shows something that needs another look. Waiting again can feel very hard.

You might ask

• What could this mean?
• What happens next, and when?
• Who can I call if I’m struggling while I wait?

If results show cancer, or that it has come back, the shock can feel like the first time, or worse. It is okay to ask for time, and to ask for a second appointment to talk it through.

Programs that combined education with emotional or psychological support reduced scanxiety. Education alone did not.

Relaxation, distraction or meditation reduced scanxiety in 3 of 6 studies. In one study, mindfulness meditation led to much lower anxiety than usual care.

Psychological therapies reduced fear of cancer recurrence in a review of 23 controlled trials. Newer forms of cognitive behavioral therapy had larger effects.

Free and confidential answers to cancer questions, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, in English and Spanish. Live chat is at cancer.gov/contact.

The helpline is open 24 hours a day, including the long nights before a scan.

Free counseling with oncology social workers and support groups for people with cancer, survivors and loved ones.