When people with cancer experience depression, they often show persistent sadness, loss of interest in activities (anhedonia), fatigue, sleep/appetite changes, difficulty concentrating, feelings of worthlessness, irritability, hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts, impacting their ability to cope and adhere to treatment, with symptoms potentially linked to the cancer itself or treatments like chemotherapy.
Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac, known for being emotional, nurturing, and highly intuitive. They are also considered sensitive and sometimes insecure. Their elemental sign is water, which makes sense when you consider the emotional depths associated with this sign.
The cancer, or its treatment, may cause a range of side effects, such as pain, nausea, fatigue or breathlessness. These can affect what you can comfortably do and your sense of independence.
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The 62-day rule for cancer, primarily in the UK's NHS system, is a key waiting time target: patients who receive an urgent referral for suspected cancer should begin their first cancer treatment within 62 days from the date the hospital gets that referral. It's part of broader standards that also include a 28-day "Faster Diagnosis" goal (diagnosis or ruling out cancer within 28 days of urgent referral) and a 31-day "Decision to Treat" standard (treatment within 31 days of the agreed-upon plan).
This panel of experts reviewed all available studies and confirmed the well-known profound feelings of sadness and loss.
An urgent referral can be worrying. But remember that more than 9 in every 10 people (more than 90%) referred this way will not have a diagnosis of cancer. In England, an urgent referral used to mean that you should see a specialist within 2 weeks.
The physical side effects of cancer can affect your emotions. Often if our body doesn't feel good, we don't feel good mentally either. For example, if someone is in pain, they might get cranky with others. Or if people are fatigued, it might make them feel sad.
A cancer diagnosis can affect your mental health. It can also affect the mental health of your family and caregivers. Feelings of anxiety, distress, depression, and loneliness are common, both during and after cancer treatment. It's important to recognize these changes and get help if you need it.
“A good rule of thumb is never to touch anyone without asking first,” notes Garcia. “But after chemo, a lot of patients tend to feel cold more easily. So, soft things that remind them of you and also feel good against their skin might be both soothing and comforting.”
The top 3 "worst" cancers, often defined by the highest number of deaths globally, are consistently lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health organizations, with pancreatic cancer also frequently cited as extremely deadly due to poor survival rates. Lung cancer causes the most fatalities worldwide, followed by colon/rectum and liver cancers, though specific rankings can vary slightly by year and region.
For Cancer (June 21 - July 22), their #1 soulmate is often considered to be Scorpio, due to their shared water sign connection, deep emotional understanding, loyalty, and desire for intense intimacy, while Pisces is also a top match for similar intuitive bonds, and Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn offer grounding and security. Cancers seek a partner who provides deep emotional security, understanding, and unwavering support, valuing nurturing connections above all else, with Scorpio often providing that perfect mix of passion, protection, and emotional depth.
Cancer, the fourth zodiac sign, is renowned for emotional depth and nurturing. Their lesser-known traits include strong intuition, hidden strength, artistic abilities, sensitivity to rejection, a natural caregiving instinct, and a private emotional life.
Cancer (Crab): June 22–July 22
Pisces: Cancers look for long-term lovers, so it makes sense that their would-be-weds are star signs known for being nostalgic and intense in their feelings. A couple of water signs, the Cancers love the Pisces for their strong empathy.
The emotional side of cancer — things like dealing with the stress of a diagnosis, self-care during treatment, accessing financial and legal resources or locating support — all can affect a patient's ability to cope and stick to a treatment plan.
Know the 5 signs of Emotional Suffering
Patients may pull away for fear of upsetting others.
Some patients find that when they talk about their illness, they end up having to comfort the person they're talking to. To avoid this uncomfortable situation, they may avoid the conversation altogether.
Sometimes described as the “3-2-1-0 rule”, the original Amsterdam criteria defined HNPCC (as it was known at the time) by 3 or more individuals with pathologically confirmed colorectal cancer where one affected family member is a first-degree relative of the other 2, in at least 2 successive generations, with one ...
The Australian Government provides a range of payments through Centrelink that may be available to people with cancer and their carers. These include: Age Pension. Carer Payment and Carer Allowance.
Tis means the cancer is at its earliest stage (in situ). It is growing into the mucosa but no further. T1 means the tumour is only in the inner layer of the bowel (submucosa). T2 means the tumour has grown into the muscle layer of the bowel wall but no further.
Rid yourself of these five emotional cancers: criticizing, complaining, comparing, competing and contending.
Stress can alter the levels of certain hormones in your body. This may also put you at greater risk of developing cancer. Stress may lead to unhealthy behaviours. Overeating, smoking and heavy drinking are all lifestyle factors that increase cancer risk.
About 90% of cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors, not genetics, including smoking, poor diet (red meat, fried foods), alcohol, sun exposure, pollutants, infections, obesity, and inactivity; only 5–10% are due to inherited genetic defects, with most cancers arising from lifestyle-induced genetic mutations. Tobacco alone accounts for about a third of cancer deaths, while diet, obesity, and inactivity contribute significantly, with controllable factors being key to prevention.