5 Ways to Cope With Scanxiety While Waiting for Cancer Results

The scan itself is often over quickly. The days around it can feel much longer. "Scanxiety" is the name many people with cancer use for the worry that builds before a test or scan and can last until results arrive. It can show up as trouble sleeping, a racing heart, restlessness or difficulty concentrating, according to an article written by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and published by the American Cancer Society (ACS) in May 2026. That article notes that one study found this type of anxiety affects more than 70% of people with cancer.

Chuck Stravin, who lives with stage 4 kidney cancer, described the feeling in a CURE blog about living between scans: "And fear is incredibly creative." Here are five ways to take some of that power back.

1. Ask How and When You Will Get Your Results

Uncertainty about the process adds to uncertainty about the outcome. ASCO and ACS suggest setting expectations with your doctor early: when results are usually ready, whether you will get a call or a visit, and who will explain them. Some people schedule their follow-up appointment for the same day or the day after a scan so the wait is short.

2. Make a Plan for the Patient Portal

Many results now land in an online patient portal before your doctor has reviewed them, and radiology reports are written for doctors, not patients. ASCO and ACS suggest avoiding checking the portal over and over. If you would rather hear results from your care team first, say so. And if you have been notified that results are ready but haven't heard from your doctor within two days, call the office.

3. Use Your Breath Before, During and After the Scan

Breathing and relaxation techniques can help you stay calmer before, during and after a scan. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) lists relaxation training, including meditation and guided imagery (picturing a calm place in detail), among the approaches that help people with cancer manage anxiety. Slow, steady breathing is something you can do anywhere, including on the scanner table.

4. Bring Someone With You and Lean on Others

A support person can drive, take notes, keep you company in the waiting room and hear the results with you. Caregivers feel scanxiety too, so it helps to agree ahead of time on how you want to spend the waiting days, whether that's staying busy or talking it through. Support groups, in person or online, connect you with people who know exactly what scan week feels like.

5. Know When Worry Needs More Help

Some worry is expected, especially in the first year after treatment and around follow-up visits, but it shouldn't take over your life. NCI says about one-fourth of people with cancer report a great deal of anxiety. Many cancer centers use a 0-to-10 "distress thermometer," and guidance from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network says a score of 4 or higher should prompt a conversation with your care team.

An ASCO guideline on anxiety and depression in cancer survivors recommends individual or group therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (which helps you notice and reframe anxious thoughts), as a first step for moderate anxiety, with medicine as an option in some cases. If you feel worried all the time, have trouble sleeping most nights or can't focus on daily tasks, tell your oncology team. They can connect you with a social worker, psychologist or counselor who works with people with cancer.

Scans will likely be part of life after a cancer diagnosis for years. Building a routine that works for you, and repeating it each time, can make each one a little more manageable.

References

1. "How to Cope With Scanxiety." American Cancer Society (written by the American Society of Clinical Oncology). May 7, 2026.
2. "Adjustment to Cancer: Anxiety and Distress (PDQ) - Patient Version." National Cancer Institute. May 14, 2025.
3. "Adjustment to Cancer: Anxiety and Distress (PDQ) - Health Professional Version." National Cancer Institute. Feb. 27, 2025.
4. "Cancer Recurrence." American Cancer Society. Oct. 21, 2025.
5. "Management of Anxiety and Depression in Adult Survivors of Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update." Journal of Clinical Oncology. April 19, 2023.

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