Surveys of people who have colon cancer reveal that many report positive life changes, such as strengthening of family ties or feeling grateful for each day, regardless of the stage of their disease. The study also found that people surveyed experienced psychological stress despite the benefits they reported. This finding makes sense, Marleen I. Meyers, MD, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Medicine and director of the Survivorship Program at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, tells HealthDay.

"The cancer stress is very real and ubiquitous," Dr. Meyers says. "And while parts of the cancer experience can be mitigated by benefit-finding, it is understandable that the anger, fatigue, and helplessness of a cancer diagnosis supersede this."

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