Thyroid Cancer–Related Fear & Anxiety in Patients With Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Mixed-Methods Study

Thyroid cancer diagnosis often evokes strong negative emotions in patients, yet little is understood about such responses in those with benign thyroid nodules. This study explored the impact of a hypothetical cancer diagnosis, the provision of treatment information, and emotional support from surgeons on patients with benign nodules. Patients within 30 d of a thyroid nodule biopsy were asked to imagine their nodule was cancerous and write down their feelings about this diagnosis. They then viewed a video depicting a patient-surgeon discussion of thyroid cancer treatment options, with or without added emotional support (1:1 randomized allocation). Validated measures assessed anxiety and thyroid cancer–related fear before and after video-viewing. Thematic analysis evaluated participants’ feelings about the hypothetical diagnosis. Of 221 eligible patients, 118 participated (53.4%). While participants state anxiety increased after performing the thought exercise and watching the video (9 [6, 11]-12 [8, 14]; P