Stress can be found almost anywhere. Perceiving stress and regulating bodily functions to respond to danger constitute crucial mechanisms on which individuals rely for their survival. However, excessive or chronic stress can lead to the development of anxiety, posing a threat to individuals’ health. In recent years, many studies have indicated that stress and anxiety can promote the initiation and progression of cancer. These effects are primarily operated through the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in the release of relevant hormones or peripheral neurotransmitters. This process triggers the promotion of cell proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis by activating the relevant receptors on both tumor cells and the microenvironment. Consequently, it accelerates cancer progression. Simultaneously, it compromises the body 's immune response, enabling tumor cells to evade immune surveillance. Nonetheless, the precise mechanisms underlying how the neural circuits associated with stress perception and anxiety response are interconnected with tumors and influence the occurrence and development of tumors through the sympathetic nervous system remain unclear. This article surveys a comprehensive overview and summary of the connections between anxiety-related neural systems and the sympathetic nervous system, as well as the pathways through which the sympathetic nervous system affects tumors, laying the theoretical foundation for future cancer treatments.