Scanxiety is an unofficial term to describe the worry that some patients, including people with cancer, experience while waiting to get results of imaging scans and other medical tests.
Deeper Dive
The symptoms of scanxiety are akin to generalized anxiety, such as fearful thoughts, nausea, trouble sleeping and difficulty focusing. Strategies to manage this also are similar to those for generalized anxiety, including getting exercise, engaging in relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation, distracting oneself with enjoyable activities, etc. It also may help if people, when getting medical tests, ask their care team how long results will take, if results will be delivered all at once (if several tests are conducted), and what support resources are available if needed to process results that may be emotionally upsetting.
Some 40% of test results classified as sensitive are reviewed by patients before their clinicians, according to a recent study in JAMA Network Open, which can lead to more people flooding patient portals with messages. Kentucky and California have passed laws allowing a pause before patients are given sensitive test results — 72 hours in the case of Kentucky — to allow doctors more time to review results before releasing them, according to the American Medical Association.
More information: Waiting on Test Results: How to Manage Scanxiety – Together by St. Jude