Most cancer patients prepare themselves for an array of unpleasant symptoms from their treatment, from fatigue and hair loss to vomiting.

While they are willing to go through these to get rid of the cancer or at least reduce the size of the tumour, many are not aware of how much treatments, such as radiotherapy, can have an impact on their mental, as well as, phsyical health.

Here are some of the emotional side effects that are worth being aware of before booking an appointment with a radiotherapy centre.

Stress

Undergoing radiotherapy, on top of having to accept the news you have cancer, can be a very stressful experience.

Patients will need to make big decisions before their treatment, including whether to go for it in the first place. They also need to fully understand the risks involved, how the radiation will be admistered, and how effective the oncologists think it will be for them.

They may need to book in for several appointments, work out the logistics of who will take them or who will take care of the children while they are feeling unwell, and face the fear that the course might not be as successful as they hope.

All of this is incredibly stressful, and many people struggle to deal with the extra mental load of a cancer diagnosis, as well as the subsequent treatment options.

Anxiety

In addition to this, many cancer patients experience heightened levels of anxiety. Firstly, they have to undergo medical treatments, including possibly surgery, which they might find distressing if they are already anxious about clinical procedures.

They are also likely to experience anxiety about not knowing what the outcome will be, and the impact this would have on their loved ones.

A study also found that radiation therapy itself can increase levels of anxiety. According to a report, published in the J Pers Social Psychol, patients who began treatment with low levels of state anxiety found there was a significant increase afterwards.

However, those who initially had high levels of state anxiety experienced a drop, while those who were moderately anxious did not report any changes in their mood.

It is worth noting that patients in the study who already had high levels of anxiety continued to remain the most anxious group, despite the decline following treatment.

In total, 60 per cent of patients had significant anxiety before receiving radiotherapy, with this figure increasing to 80 per cent after treatment.

Depression

With so much to deal with, it’s not hard to see why many cancer patients find themselves feeling depressed before, during or after treatment.

Even with the most positive attitude, feeling stressed and anxious can eradicate most of their positivity.

What’s more, fatigue is a big side effect of radiotherapy, leaving patients unable to do things they enjoy. They might feel unable to look after themselves, go for walks, take part in their hobbies, or play with their kids, which can cause their mood to dip dramatically.

This fatigue can last for weeks, or even months, after treatment, so while they might have patience for it at the start, they may begin to get frustrated and fed up by it after a while.

Subsequently, many patients report feeling depressed a couple of weeks after their treatment, as this is when their fatigue feels the worst.

At the same time, they might not see healthcare staff every day by this point, which can make them feel worried and alone.

Being isolated is also a major factor that can contribute to feeling depressed. For a start, many people will feel lost not being at work or seeing friends, as they will have gone from speaking to people every day to being mostly alone.

What’s more, they might find that when friends or relatives visit, they do not know what to say or they treat them differently, which makes it hard to enjoy light-hearted conversations that could temporarily distract them from their worries.

Patients might also find it hard to talk to their loved ones, as they cannot fully understand what they are going through unless they have experience of it themselves. This can exacerbate their feelings of loneliness, as they feel like nobody they know can relate to them

They might then be tempted to push their negative feelings aside, get back to work before they are ready, or engage in trivial conversation to feel like their old selves, but this can make them feel worse afterwards, as they have not given themselves the recovery time to process their trauma.

Although there are many emotional side effects from both being diagnosed with cancer and the treatment itself, the best way to handle these is by talking to others who are going through the same thing.

Support groups, social media forums, and medical staff at the radiotherapy centre will enable you to talk through your feelings and make you feel less lonely during this incredibly challenging time.