Approximately 65% of People Feel Anxious About 'Cancer'. The Top Anxiety is 'Life-Threatening' at 68.6%. What Can Be Done for Early Detection?

Most common image of cancer: 'Life-threatening disease' at 66.2%

Cancer is said to affect one in two Japanese people in their lifetime.

Despite being a familiar disease, there may be surprisingly few opportunities to deeply consider its reality and risks.

What kind of image do people have of cancer, and what anxieties do they harbor?

Also, what do they think can be done for early detection?

Therefore, in collaboration with Salivatech, we conducted a survey on 'Images and Anxieties Regarding Cancer' targeting 500 men and women nationwide.

*When quoting the contents of this press release, please comply with the following:

・State that the source is 'a survey by NEXER Co., Ltd. and Salivatech'

・Provide a link to Salivatech (https://salivatech.co.jp/)

'Survey on Images and Anxieties Regarding Cancer' Overview

Survey method: Internet questionnaire

Survey period: March 30, 2026 - March 31, 2026

Target respondents: Men and women nationwide

Valid responses: 500 samples

Questions:

Question 1: What image do you have of 'cancer'? (Multiple answers allowed)

Question 2: Have you ever considered the possibility of getting cancer yourself?

Question 3: Please tell us the reason.

Question 4: Have you ever had 'cancer'?

Question 5: Do you have any anxiety about 'cancer'?

Question 6: What are your main anxieties? (Multiple answers allowed)

Question 7: What do you think can be done for early detection of cancer? (Multiple answers allowed)

*As a general rule, figures are rounded to the first decimal place, so the total may not always be 100%.

66.2% answered 'Life-threatening disease'. This was the most common image of cancer.

First, we asked what image people have of cancer.

The most common answer was 'Life-threatening disease' at 66.2%.

This was followed by 'Scary disease' at 54.8% and 'Treatment seems difficult' at 52.4%.

All top three answers exceeded half, indicating that many people have a serious image of cancer.

58.0% answered that they 'have considered' the possibility of getting cancer themselves.

Next, we asked if they had ever considered the possibility of getting cancer themselves.

'Often think about it' was 17.0%, and 'Occasionally think about it' was 41.0%, totaling 58.0% of people who have considered the possibility of getting cancer. On the other hand, 'Don't think about it much' was 25.6%, and 'Never think about it' was 16.4%.

This shows that more than half of the people are aware of the risk of cancer as a personal matter.

We asked for reasons why people have considered the possibility of getting cancer, and here are some examples:

Reasons for considering the possibility of getting cancer:

・Because you never know when something might happen. (20s, Male)

・Because I think it's a disease anyone can get. (30s, Female)

・Because my mother died of cancer. (30s, Female)

・I've been feeling unwell for several years, so I'm always anxious that I might have cancer. (40s, Male)

・When I hear about cancer on the news, I start thinking about it. (40s, Male)

・Because someone close to me got cancer. (50s, Female)

Some people felt anxious due to the experience of losing a family member to cancer or their own poor health.

There were also responses indicating that they became aware of cancer through news and reports.

Regardless of age, awareness of cancer seems to naturally increase through personal experiences and daily exposure to information.

9.4% answered 'have had cancer'.

Next, we asked about their experience with cancer.

As a result, 'Yes' was 9.4%, and 'No' was 90.6%.

Furthermore, we asked those who have not had cancer about their anxiety regarding cancer.

'Very anxious' was 20.8%, and 'Somewhat anxious' was 44.6%, totaling 65.4% of people who feel some kind of anxiety. 'Not very anxious' was 22.3%, and 'Not anxious at all' was 12.4%.

This shows that many people fear this disease even if they have not personally experienced it.

The top anxiety was 'Anxiety about it being life-threatening' at 68.6%.

We asked those who answered that they have anxiety about cancer about the specific content of their anxiety.

The most common answer was 'Anxiety about it being life-threatening' at 68.6%.

This was followed by 'Anxiety about the pain and side effects of treatment' at 60.8% and 'Anxiety about medical expenses and economic burden' at 52.4%, with all top three exceeding half.