Diagnostic Imaging Studies: Do They Create Anxiety?

Cancer is one of the main health problems in western countries. In 2008, it represented the first cause of death in men and the second one in women. When there is a diagnosis or suspicion of cancer, performing diagnostic imaging studies has an important role in the clinical activity and may have an elevated psychological impact.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of anxiety in oncology patients during the performance of a nuclear medicine study (PET-CT) in a Nuclear Medicine Service, by means of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

Material and methods

A total of 200 cancer patients who underwent a PET-CT study in a Nuclear Medicine Service received the STAI to evaluate the level of anxiety generated during this test. The STAI is a validated questionnaire developed as a research tool on anxiety in healthy adults.

Results

Of the 200 patients, two-thirds (n = 135) (67%) of the patients evaluated had anxiety. Of the 133, 93 (70%) of the patients who underwent PET-CT study for the first time were anxious whereas 42 (62.7%) of the patients who had undergone the study on previous occasions were anxious. Those patients with the greatest anxiety were those in whom the study was performed in the initial stage of the disease.

Conclusion

The practice of the PET-CT study as an initial staging method and/or to evaluate tumor recurrence is an important and statistically significant generator of anxiety. There is a high emotional and cognitive impact associated to the participation of the diagnostic tests.