Prevalence of anxiety among breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety among breast cancer patients. In April 2019, three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched from January, 2000 to March, 2019. Key words included were as follows: breast neoplasm, prevalence, and anxiety. A total of 36 studies that included 16,298 breast cancer patients between 2000 and 2018 were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of anxiety among breast cancer patients was 41.9% [(CI: 95%): 30.7, 53.2]. The prevalence of anxiety among patients in Mediterranean countries was higher. The study showed a high level of anxiety among breast cancer patients, indicating the importance of psychological factors as well as physical in breast cancer patients.