Clinically reviewed by Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA, Chief Clinical Officer, Calm
A cancer diagnosis can shake a person’s sense of safety, their routines, and the way they picture the future. That’s why cancer and mental health are so closely connected. Anxiety, worry, and low mood can show up at diagnosis, during treatment, and long after the last appointment, for the person with cancer and for the people who love them.
Many people keep working through some, or all, of the experience, which begs the question: how do they manage appointments, energy, and emotions while still showing up for their jobs? For human resources, benefits, and team leaders, that makes cancer a workplace mental health issue as well as a medical one.
Let’s take a closer look at what employees and their caregivers might experience at each stage, small practices that fit into a workday, how leaders can respond, and when it’s time to point someone toward professional support.
How Cancer Affects Mental Health
Feeling emotionally shaken by cancer isn’t a sign of weakness. Oncology specialists often use the word “distress” to describe it. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines for Distress Management define distress as “a multifactorial, unpleasant experience of a psychologic (i.e., cognitive, behavioral, emotional), social, spiritual, and/or physical nature that may interfere with the ability to cope effectively with cancer, its physical symptoms, and its treatment.”
It’s also common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as three out of every four people with cancer experience symptoms of psychological distress or cognitive concerns, yet one-third or fewer have talked with their doctor about their psychosocial needs. The National Cancer Institute’s PDQ summary on depression notes that depression affects up to 25% of people with cancer, a rate significantly higher than in the general population.
Everyone’s experience is different. Some people feel fear right away, while others feel numb at first and notice anxiety or sadness weeks later.
Calm Health explores this range in the emotional burden of a cancer diagnosis, and Dr. Chris Mosunic shares his perspective as Calm’s Chief Clinical Officer on Cancer and Mental Health. Cancer also fits a wider pattern of how chronic conditions affect mental health at work, where physical and emotional health are closely linked.
Anxiety and Depression During Cancer: What’s the Difference?
Anxiety and depression often seem similar, but can feel different. Anxiety tends to look ahead: racing thoughts about test results, what treatment will be like, or what happens next. Depression tends to feel heavy: a low mood that lingers, a loss of interest, or a sense that things won’t get better.
Some signs that may be worth paying attention to, in yourself or someone on your team, include:
- Worry that’s hard to set aside, even during quiet moments
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Feeling tense, restless, or on edge
- A low mood that lasts most of the day, most days
- Losing interest in things you usually enjoy
- Pulling away from friends, family, or coworkers
Some of these overlap with treatment side effects like fatigue, which is one reason it helps for people to mention emotional changes to their care team rather than sorting them out alone. For a deeper look, explore these guides on understanding anxiety and building coping skills and how depression can show up at work.
Common Emotional Moments Across the Cancer Experience
At Diagnosis
The days after a diagnosis often bring shock, fear, and a flood of new information. It’s common to feel scattered or to have trouble concentrating at work. For managers, that may look like a normally steady team member who seems distracted or quieter than usual. Writing down questions before appointments and bringing along someone they trust can make conversations with a care team feel more manageable.
It’s also okay for someone not to know how they feel yet. Shock can make emotions arrive slowly, and there’s no right way to react. Letting a few trusted people know what’s happening, even briefly, can ease the feeling of carrying it alone.
During Treatment
Treatment brings its own schedule of appointments, side effects, and waiting. Many people notice anxiety spikes around scans and test results, sometimes called “scanxiety.” The American Cancer Society (ACS) describes scanxiety as “a state of anxiety that can come up prior to having a test or scan.” Our guide to supporting the mental health of employees with cancer offers practical tools for scan days and workdays.
When Treatment Ends
Finishing treatment can bring relief and uncertainty at the same time. Appointments slow down, support may feel less visible, and people around them may expect life to return to normal quickly.
Fear that cancer will come back is common. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis led by Yvonne Luigjes-Huizer and published in Psycho-Oncology found that 58.8% of respondents reported at least moderate fear of cancer recurrence, and 19.2% reported high fear. It’s a widely shared experience: the American Cancer Society estimated 18.6 million cancer survivors in the US as of January 1, 2025, a number projected to exceed 22 million by 2035. Our guide to life after cancer treatment looks more closely at fear of recurrence, low mood, and returning to work.
Small Coping Practices That Fit Into a Workday
Big changes aren’t always realistic during cancer. Small, repeatable practices can help a person feel a little steadier, even on hard days. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guideline on anxiety and depression in adult cancer survivors includes mindfulness-based stress reduction and structured physical activity among its options, alongside therapy. Everyday versions of these ideas, which are easy to share with employees and team members, include:
- Take a two-minute breathing break. Slow your exhale before a meeting, a phone call, or a patient portal login.
- Name what you’re feeling. A quick note like “anxious about Thursday’s scan” can make a feeling easier to hold.
- Plan around your energy. Schedule focused work for the hours you tend to feel best, and protect quieter time after treatment days.
- Move gently when you can. A short walk, with your care team’s okay, may help ease tension.
- Keep one small anchor. A morning coffee ritual, a favorite playlist, or a call with a friend can bring a sense of normalcy.
- Limit late-night searching. Save medical questions for your care team, and step away from search results when they add to worry.
Cancer in the Workplace: Supporting Mental Health at Work
For many people, work offers routine, connection, and a sense of identity during treatment. It can also bring pressure: deciding what to share, keeping up with a workload, and fitting in appointments.
Employees get to decide how much to share and with whom. Some tell only a manager or HR partner; others tell their whole team. Managers can help by asking simple, open questions and following the employee’s lead. For guidance on those conversations, see how managers can talk about health with their teams.
Practical steps for leaders can include confirming that flexible scheduling is available for appointments, making sure employees know where to find the EAP and other mental health benefits, checking in when someone returns from leave, and avoiding assumptions about what a person can or can’t take on.
In the US, employees with cancer may be eligible for reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and for job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, depending on their situation. HR teams can help employees understand these options alongside the organization’s own policies. For a closer look at the organizational side, read how organizations can support employees with cancer.
Supporting Caregivers, Too
Cancer affects whole households. A spouse, adult child, or close friend may take on rides to appointments, medication schedules, and emotional support, often while working. According to Caregiving in the US 2025, a report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, 63 million Americans provided ongoing care in the past year, and six in 10 family caregivers are employed. That means a team member may be supporting a loved one with cancer while also doing their job.
Caregivers can experience their own anxiety and low mood. ASCO’s guideline recommends offering information about depression and anxiety to caregivers and family members. Calm Health explores this topic in mental health support for caregivers, and our guide to cancer caregiver support focuses on people balancing caregiving with work.
When to Seek Professional Support
Coping practices can help, and some feelings call for more support. Consider reaching out to an oncology team, primary care provider, or a mental health professional if you or someone you support notices:
- Low mood, worry, or numbness that lasts for weeks
- Feelings that make it hard to sleep, work, or get through the day
- Pulling away from people or activities that matter
- Relying on alcohol or other substances to cope
ASCO’s guideline recommends screening for anxiety and depression at diagnosis, at the start of treatment, and when disease or treatment status changes. It names cognitive behavioral therapy and behavioral activation as core treatment options. If no one has asked how someone is feeling emotionally, it’s okay for them to bring it up, and for a trusted manager or colleague to open the door.
Many workplaces offer more support than employees realize. An employee assistance program (EAP) often includes short-term counseling and referrals, and this resource on getting more from your EAP explains how. Leaders can help by making sure employees know these options exist and how to use them. A mental health screening can also help point you toward the right level of support.
Please note that Calm Health’s screening is not a substitute for care by a physician or other health care provider.
If you’re in crisis: If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself or feel unsafe, contact local emergency services right away. In the US and Canada, you can call or text 988 to reach a crisis line.
How Calm Health Can Complement Existing Benefits
Calm Health is designed to complement EAPs, health plan resources, and clinical care. A digital mental wellness product, Calm Health* offers psychologist-developed, evidence-based programs; a mental health screening, and guidance toward other benefits an organization or health plan provides. For HR and benefits teams building mental health benefits for employees, this may offer a way to connect employees and members with cancer, or those caring for someone with cancer, to support that works alongside the benefits already in place.
One of Calm Health’s programs, Tools to Cope with Cancer, is a 13-session digital program authored by board-certified clinical health psychologist Jennifer Kilkus, PhD, ABPP. It offers tools and insights from clinical psychology designed to support people with the physical and emotional toll of cancer.
*Calm Health isn’t intended to diagnose or treat any condition, and it isn’t a substitute for care from a physician or other health care provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal for employees to feel anxious after cancer treatment ends?
Yes, many people do. Fewer appointments and less contact with the care team can make worries feel louder. The 2022 Psycho-Oncology meta-analysis mentioned above found that more than half of respondents reported at least moderate fear of recurrence. If worry is affecting daily life, encourage the person to talk with their care team.
Can working during cancer treatment affect mental health?
It can go both ways. Work may offer structure and connection, and it can also add stress. Flexible scheduling, clear communication with a trusted manager, and realistic workload planning may help.
What’s the difference between Calm and Calm health?
Calm is the consumer app for meditation, sleep, and relaxation that individuals can download on their own. Calm Health is a separate offering available through organizations and health plans. It adds psychologist-developed, evidence-based programs, such as Tools to Cope with Cancer, along with a mental health screening for potential symptoms of anxiety and depression, and navigation to other benefits.
Helpful Next Steps
- Explore the emotional burden of a cancer diagnosis and ways to support each person’s experience.
- Build everyday tools with this guide to understanding anxiety and building coping skills.
- Learn how depression can show up at work and when to reach out.
- Find resources on mental health support for caregivers.
- Read how organizations can support employees with cancer.
- Discover ways of getting more from your EAP.
