Scanxiety in People with Ovarian Cancer

Cancer related scans and other medical tests can be a time of heightened anxiety for cancer patients (Bui et al., 2021). This phenomenon has been term ‘scanxiety’ (Feiler, 2011). However, the triggers and maintaining factors of scanxiety remain unclear. Therefore, we aim to track the experience of scanxiety in people with ovarian cancer in the week leading up to their scan and whilst they wait for their results. People with ovarian cancer have regular blood tests and CT scans to monitor for recurrence. They also have relatively high rates of recurrence (Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, 2022). The combination of these factors might make them particularly vulnerable to scanxiety. We will assess a range of theoretically important variables from people with ovarian cancer at baseline. Then, we aim to examine the scanxiety response over time using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) technology. Heathcote et al. (2022) ran a feasibility study examining scanxiety in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors using EMA. They found that EMA was an acceptable tool for investigating the trajectory of scanxiety. This study therefore aims to build upon these findings in an adult population – specifically those with ovarian cancer.