Major Health Report Reveals Majority Of Indians Live With Overwhelming Fear Of Cancer

Living with fear of cancer can be restricting. It is important to address its root cause, and do preventive check-ups from time-to-time to alleviate this fear and improve the quality of life.

Cancer fear and anxiety: Earlier this year, India was labelled as the 'cancer capital of the world', because of its increasing annual cancer cases. This has led to overwhelming fear among a substantial population of the country. According to a recent GOQii-launched '2024 Cancer Report', some alarming statistics have come to the fore. It seems there is a deep-rooted fear of cancer that has impacted over 60 per cent of the Indian population. GOQii, a smart-tech-enabled preventive healthcare company, revealed in its report -- that was shared with TheHealthsite.com -- that 60 per cent of respondents have moderate-to-extreme fear about developing cancer in their lifetime.

Fear Of Cancer: How It Affects Mental Health

Living with any kind of fear can be detrimental to mental health. An incapacitating fear of cancer can lead to excessive worry, anxiety, and unease, making it difficult to concentrate and perform daily activities. It can also contribute to depressive symptoms like low mood, loss of interest in activities, and changes in appetite or sleep patterns. At the same time, a person living with such a paralysing fear can suffer from insomnia, daytime fatigue, and other sleep-related problems that can affect their relationships with family and friends. In fact, for individuals with a history of cancer, fear can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

Know More About The Cancer Report

In its cancer report titled 'Living in Fear: The Hidden Epidemic of Cancer Anxiety Among the Public', GOQii states that the nation is 'consumed by dread', and the 'spectre of cancer looms large over every demographic, transcending age, gender, and socio-economic barriers'.

While there is a growing awareness about cancer, the report found that a staggering 70 per cent of respondents have not undergone any form of screening in the past five years. There is an urgent need to bridge this gap and provide public health interventions to people so that they can have access to preventive care.

According to the report, cancer fear among Indians has several different undertones. For instance, 23.9 per cent of respondents said they feared death, while 21.5 per cent said they are afraid of work-related exposure to chemicals that can cause cancer. Additionally, 28.6 per cent of respondents admitted they are fearful of their family history of cancer. While 33 per cent of people said they are afraid of the financial burden of treatment, 34 per cent said they are afraid of a lack of preventive measures like vaccines. A staggering 56.9 per cent of people are scared of environmental factors like pollution and radiation exposure that can cause cancer.

"Cancer fear and anxiety are real, affecting millions of people in India in ways that go beyond physical health. People are living in constant fear of not only the disease, but also the potential financial and emotional toll it could take on them and their loved ones. This report serves as a wake-up call. We need to shift our focus to prevention, early detection, and providing people with the right tools and resources to manage both their health and their anxiety," Vishal Gondal, the founder and CEO of GOQii said about the findings.