A breast cancer diagnosis brings fear and upheaval that can last long after treatment ends. Women may worry about how they look, how they will manage at home and work, how their relationships will cope and what the future holds. A new Greek study has adapted a questionnaire that helps doctors pinpoint exactly which of these pressures weighs most heavily.

Researchers at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens translated and tested the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale with 216 Greek women diagnosed with the disease. The findings appear in BMC Psychology. Women were recruited through a national breast cancer patients’ association and a private hospital clinic, and completed the survey online between March and May 2025.

The scale has 24 questions covering five areas of stress. These are appearance and sexuality, health and daily life, relationships with family and friends, dealing with the healthcare system, and worries about the future. Most participants were aged between 31 and 70, and around half had undergone a lumpectomy while a third had had a mastectomy.

The Greek version kept the same five part structure as the original and fitted the data well. Its overall reliability was very high, meaning the questions consistently measured the same underlying stress. Scores were strongly linked to general measures of perceived stress and anxiety, showing that the scale captures genuine distress.

Worries about the future produced the highest scores, followed by difficulties with health and daily life. This suggests that uncertainty about recurrence, family and the years ahead remains a dominant concern for many women.

The researchers argue that the scale’s real value lies in showing where distress comes from, not just how much there is. A woman mainly troubled by fatigue and physical limits may benefit most from physiotherapy or fatigue programmes, while one struggling with family strain may need couples or family counselling. Those overwhelmed by appointments and paperwork may need practical help in navigating care.

The questionnaire takes only five to seven minutes and can be completed in a waiting room on paper or a tablet. Until now, Greece has lacked a validated stress measure designed specifically for people with cancer.

The study has limits. The sample was modest and recruited by convenience, mostly through one patient group and a private hospital. Important details such as time since diagnosis, cancer stage and current treatment were not collected, and the same group was used for both main analyses, so further testing in larger and more varied samples is needed.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide, and almost 9,000 Greek women were diagnosed in 2022 alone. Tools that help clinicians match support to each woman’s specific worries could make psychological care a routine part of cancer treatment.