An overwhelming fear of cancer looms large over every demographic, age, gender and socio-economic barrier, according to the findings by GOQii – a tech-enabled preventive healthcare company.
The report titled “Living in Fear: The Hidden Epidemic of Cancer Anxiety Among the Public,” notifies that at least 24 per cent of people panic over death as a result of cancer, underscoring its perception as a terminal illness.
The report is based on a comprehensive survey of over one thousand individuals and insights from a user base of over 5 million on GOQii’s Smart Health Ecosystem app.
At least 70% have not undergone any form of cancer screening in the past five years, despite awareness of its importance.
According to experts, these figures highlight a dangerous gap in proactive health management. A significant 33% of respondents have also expressed deep concern over the crippling financial burden a cancer diagnosis could impose.
The costs of treatment – spanning diagnostics, surgery, chemotherapy, and long-term medication – are often prohibitive, threatening to push families into financial ruin.
According to experts, anxiety is a normal reaction to cancer. You may experience anxiety while undergoing a cancer screening test, waiting for test results, receiving a diagnosis, undergoing treatment, or anticipating a recurrence of the deadly disease.
Anxiety associated with cancer increases feelings of pain, interferes with your ability to sleep, leads to nausea and vomiting, and even interferes with your quality of life. If normal anxiety gives way to abnormally high distress, becomes incapacitating, or involves excessive fear or worry, it may warrant its own treatment.
If left untreated, anxiety may even be associated with lower survival rates from cancer.
Further, the report sheds light on the paralyzing fatality that haunts many Indians, with 24 per cent of respondents fearing cancer as an inevitable death sentence.
The fear gets exacerbated by the late detection of cancer, often due to inadequate screening and delayed diagnosis, leading to a perception of cancer as an incurable, terminal illness, experts added.
The report calls for a drastic overhaul of India’s healthcare infrastructure to prioritize early detection and ensure equitable access to cancer treatment, particularly in rural areas where healthcare resources are severely limited.
Main causes of cancer:
At the heart of cancer and anxiety are environmental and lifestyle factors.
Over half of the respondents say they are alarmed by the risks posed by pollution, radiation, environmental carcinogens and poor lifestyle choices, such as smoking and unhealthy diets