During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to recognize that caring for mental health is an essential part of the cancer journey. A diagnosis can affect not only a person’s physical health, but also their emotional well-being, relationships, and sense of self. By raising awareness of these challenges, we can encourage compassion, understanding, and support for everyone affected by breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the US besides skin cancers. It accounts for about 1 in 3 new cancers in women each year.” Some of the cases are invasive breast cancer—a disease in which abnormal cells in the breast grow out of control and form tumors, most commonly originating in the milk ducts or lobules. The other is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)—a noninvasive, stage 0 breast cancer in which abnormal cells grow inside the lining of the milk ducts without spreading into surrounding breast tissue. They estimate “42,140 women will die from breast cancer.” Lastly, the American Cancer Society also declares that“Overall, the average risk that a woman in the US will develop breast cancer sometime in her life is about 13%. This means about 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer. But each woman’s risk of breast cancer varies based on her age, race and ethnicity, and other factors.”
Breast cancer can cause various side effects:
- Depression and anxiety: Intense feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and persistent worry are common. Anxiety can increase while waiting for test results, during medical appointments, or when treatment changes; this phenomenon is known as anticipatory anxiety.
- Fear of recurrence: Many survivors live with the constant worry that the cancer will return. This can lead to intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance about new physical symptoms, and intense fear before follow-up appointments.
- Post-traumatic stress symptoms: The experience of receiving a potentially life-threatening diagnosis, undergoing intensive treatment, and spending time in medical settings can trigger post-traumatic stress symptoms. Some of the symptoms can be intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance of medical reminders, hypervigilance, and negative mood changes, which may persist during or after therapy.
- Body image and self-esteem: Surgeries such as mastectomy, scarring, adjustments to breast reconstruction, and hair loss associated with chemotherapy or endocrine therapy can affect how people perceive their bodies and their sexuality. These changes may lead to feelings of grief, self-consciousness, or reduced confidence, and may influence how comfortable they feel with intimacy or expressing their sexuality.
- Cognitive difficulties and mental fatigue:Some treatments can cause memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and a feeling of mental fog, which can increase emotional frustration.
Mental health is not an add-on to breast cancer recovery; it is a fundamental clinical pillar that directly shapes adherence to medical treatment and long-term quality of life. While chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery physically target tumor cells, a cancer diagnosis is a deeply traumatic event that can shake a patient’s sense of identity, relationships, and emotional stability.
Integrating psycho-oncology—a discipline pioneered in the 1970s by Dr. J. Holland that brings together medicine and psychology to address cancer’s emotional, social, and behavioral impact on patients, their families, and caregivers—from day one helps address the disease’s invisible scars. It effectively reduces prevalent clinical concerns such as chronic fear of recurrence—which affects nearly half of cancer survivors—as well as anxiety and adjustment-related mood disorders.
Let this be more than an opportunity to share information; let it also remind us to lead with compassion. Someone around us may be facing challenges we know nothing about, so a little understanding, kindness, and support can make a meaningful difference.