The relationship of cancer pain to anxiety

The interaction between pain and anxiety in the setting of somatic illness is a widely recognised association. More accurate knowledge about the association and also about the means of assessing anxiety in a clinical setting are of use to the clinician. The present study used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for assessment of anxiety, and the set of linear analogue scales for detecting the presence and severity of anxiety and pain in an oncology clinic, where patients were undergoing active treatment for cancer. The relationship between pain and anxiety was found to be significant, even when the possible mediating effect of the variables of illness severity and age were removed. The need for detecting anxiety in order to plan treatment strategy is emphasised.