Is whole-body magnetic resonance imaging a source of anxiety in oncological patients?

ObjectiveMagnetic resonance often produces feelings of anxiety before, or during, the examination. The aim of this study was to assess anxiety and potential causes of anxiety in cancer patients undergoing whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI).MethodsThis monocentric study recruited 70 cancer patients who were scheduled to undergo WB-MRI for detection, staging or therapy monitoring. At baseline (prior to the WB-MRI), assessments were performed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y 1), Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R), Big Five Inventory (BIF-10) and Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), while at the end of the WB-MRI examination the patients repeated the STAI-Y 1 questionnaire and were asked to indicate their preference between WB-MRI and computed tomography.ResultsWe found a positive correlation between pre- and post-examination STAI-Y 1 scores (r = 0.536, p ConclusionsThe anxiety associated with a WB-MRI examination was only in small part associated with the examination itself, and in fact, most patients preferred WB-MRI to computed tomography. Concern with the outcome of the examination was likely a greater source of anxiety.