Cancer Anxiety Impacts Family Members of Those Diagnosed With Cancer

WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A cancer diagnosis places an emotional burden on the loved ones of those diagnosed, according to the results of a survey released by the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC) — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

The survey was conducted in May 2025 online (978 participants) and by telephone (30 participants).

The survey results revealed that top concerns when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer include life expectancy (76 percent), course of treatment (69 percent), pain (65 percent), side effects (55 percent), family stress (54 percent), and grief (49 percent). Some concerns differed by age, with young respondents (ages 18 to 29 years) more likely to report grief (66 percent) as a top concern when a family member is diagnosed with cancer, while older respondents are more likely to say that course of treatment (74 percent) and caregiver stress (37 percent) are top concerns for them. 

“The complex nature of caregivers” concerns is very representative of the unique challenges we face as a mental health community in supporting our patients through treatment and into their “new normal” as a cancer survivor,” Kevin Johns, M.D., director of the psychosocial oncology program at OSUCCC, said in a statement. “It is truly a life journey, and like any journey, it can have extreme ups and downs that must be navigated. Helping our patients thrive beyond the diagnosis through proper mental health care is paramount to achieving high quality of life.”

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