Let's Talk about Scanxiety

 Let’s talk about “scanxiety” - the anxious fear many cancer patients have when it comes time for scans. 

Scans come in many varieties (ultrasound, CT, MRI, bone, PET) but the bottom line is they’re looking for what we all fear most: metastatic cancer. Some look for shrinking tumors in the setting of chemotherapy, others screen for the presence of disease that may or may not be symptomatic. But every cancer patient goes through the agony of scanxiety, and the life or death sentence that may come with it. 

Today is my turn: first scan since mastectomy and oophorectomy. Making sure what is most likely a benign finding on my liver from the last scan remains so, and making sure the dual traumas of surgery and stress haven’t given my cancer the opportunity to grow. 

You’re never cured of most cancers, you simply achieve a state called NED - “no evidence of disease”. It’s what every cancer patient hopes for after every scan. If there’s someone in your life who survived cancer, this is likely still a stressful anniversary no matter how remote their diagnosis. Give them a hug and send them good vibes - it helps.