How to Cope with Fear of Cancer Spreading After Diagnosis

I have same fear. I had DCIS diagnosed last summer. Docs tell me excellent prognosis with treatment i had and my research tells me the same but i still have hours, days when i am terrified. I try hard to push it away and focus on anything positive. It goes away and comes back and i repeat process.

I feel the same way Kathleen, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at stage 4. She had double mastectomy and chemo. Several years later she was diagnosed with sternum cancer, bone cancer she did radiation and chemo. I watched her fight this battle and she was so brave. She passed away this past February. When I was diagnosed my fear was I was going to fight this same battle I watched my mother fight. I had double mastectomy, I was diagnosed with DCIS STAGE 1. I was told no further treatments are needed. In the back of my head I don’t feel reassured, I did get a second opinion and was told the same. I want to do a short cycle of chemo to make sure there are no cancer cells left. I have anxiety thinking about it. I feel like I’ll never feel safe.

Did you guys get genetic Testing done?? That’ll make it easier to make decisions about treatment options.

I did get a test called DecisionRT. It looks at your pathology and predicts your chance of recurrence or new cancer with and without radiation. Mine was definitely lower with radiation.

It’s just that it never gets to zero

BRAC 1 and 2?? That would indicate if there is a hereditary component. Prognosis testing is different.

Negative for those. Am first woman in my family diagnosed with breast cancer

I don’t think about that, my energy goes to eat well, exercise, enjoy my family and friends! If we live with fear, we will not have a life. I take my treatment seriously and I follow my doctor’s recommendations. Yes, I am not the same person, I was before breast cancer, but I don’t want that word to ruin my life. It happened to your mom, but not necessarily to you! I meditate and pray as well!! If it comes back, I will deal with it as much as possible, but I am not going to let it ruined my life. Enjoy your days, take care of you mentally and physically 🙏🏼. Good luck

Live for today. Watch your diet and live a pure life, not in fear of what could be.

This is a huge problem for me. Huge. I was diagnosed with stage 1 last March. Did surgery and radiation and I’m on hormone suppression therapy. But I am paranoid. It’s bad. My grandmother was diagnosed as 44, me at 40. She died 15 years later. I have a 10 year old daughter and I just want to live as long as I can for her and not be sick. The anxiety is crippling. I’ve tried to just accept things as they are. I can’t change anything. It’s rough. Each time I go to the oncology office for my monthly injection and labs, I have a panic attack and dissect my labs. Ugh, it’s put a toll on my marriage. My husband is supportive but it’s a lot for him too.

I can definitely relate to what you all are saying. When fear knocks, I try to let my faith unlock the door. I started my cancer genetics journey back in 2023 because of the strong family history (mother, grandmother, aunt, and 1st cousin). My mother and aunt died within 7 months of each other. The cancer returned after breast cancer treatment and remission years later in the stomach and lungs respectively. I didn’t want that to be my story so I got tested and found out that I carry the BRCA2 gene. I had a prophylactic BSO last year to lower my risk of ovarian cancer. I declined the DMX and opted for increased surveillance of the breasts. I now have been diagnosed with stage 0 DCIS and am scheduled for a double mastectomy on 6/10/25. This too shall pass! 🙏🏾❤️‍🩹

The fear of cancer spreading is incredibly common and completely understandable, especially when witnessing a loved one's journey with multiple diagnoses. These anxious feelings don't diminish the positive news about early detection, and many people in this community have found that connecting with others who understand this specific fear, along with speaking openly with healthcare teams about concerns, can help make these overwhelming emotions more manageable.

Hi my name is Mary. Unfortunately we all have that fear. I try to live each day the best I again. But u go to bed with it and wake up with it. Waiting for next tumor to pop up. As far as the genetic testing is concerned I had it done twice and the braces. done . I did once and my Dr. did it. Everything came back negative . But my Dr. looked into the tumors and found the braca gene. Mine came from all the estrogen I took to avoid menopause. Genetically I do have cancer in my family. I lost my Mom 51/2 yrs ago. She was 103 plus. 2 weeks before she died they found she had stage 4 colonretal cancer which of course spread everywhere. Plus I’m sure her age had something to do with it. And let me tell you she didn’t have systems so we never knew. My Aunt and my cousin had breast cancer. When I had the mastectomys 13 yrs ago I chose to do both because just it case it spread to the side it was ready done. I also chose not to have implants because I had a breast reduction about 6 yrs. before and took 51/2 hrs . This time I wasn’t going to put myself through that again. I have enough problems. But it’s so easy being like this. Anyway enough about me. Anyway if u would like to write please feel free to. My name is Mary be well.