OVER half of all cancer patients in Scotland are worrying about death in silence, a charity has warned.

Macmillan Cancer Support has found that 65 per cent of people with cancer in Scotland have thought about the possibility of dying during their treatment but less than half of them talked about it.

The findings are part of a campaign to get people talking more openly about death.

The charity says that a ‘crisis of communication’ about death is preventing people from having their dying wishes met.

Their research has revealed that almost one in six people with cancer in Scotland think about their death ‘constantly’ but less than one in ten have shared their feelings with their healthcare team.

Mandy Mcfarlane, 42, from Glasgow, was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in 2009, just nine months after the birth of her second child.

She said: “For me at diagnosis, I certainly did not want to think of end of life as I was trying to focus on staying alive.

“However, once my treatments were over and I had more time to think, I began to focus on my possible imminent death."

According to the report ‘No Regrets - How talking more openly about death could help people die well’, patients sometimes feel they can’t be honest about how they feel about their illness.

Gordon McLean, National Programme Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “It is hard to contemplate your own death, however a diagnosis of cancer can quickly bring this much more to the forefront.

“Often this is sooner than anticipated and many people will internalise their feelings because they don’t want to cause distress to their loved ones.

“However it is vitally important that people are encouraged to talk about their fears around cancer and dying.

“It is only by supporting someone to put plans in place, that we can ensure they are able to have a good death.”

Macmillan Cancer Support is calling on the Scottish Government to implement the 2015 Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care, and ensure that patients are offered an anticipatory care plan outlining how and where they would like to be cared for at the end of life.