Objective This study aimed to assess anxiety, depression, and stress among inpatients with cancer. Methods Two hundred thirty-five hospitalized patients with cancer were surveyed with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (simplified Chinese Version). The software program SPSS 25.0 was used for statistical analysis of the survey data.Results The average scores of depression, anxiety, and stress of inpatients with cancer were 12.17, 11.84, and 13.98 respectively, which were higher than the normal range. The scores of anxiety and stress of inpatients with different caregivers were statistically different (P = 0.024/0.036). The anxiety and stress scores of inpatients with spouses as caregivers were higher than those of inpatients with children as caregivers. There was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of stress between inpatients with cancer with religious beliefs and inpatients with cancer without religious beliefs (P = 0.026), and those with religious beliefs had greater incidence of stress. The score of anxiety was significantly higher for inpatients with children than for inpatients without children (P = 0.040). Conclusion The anxiety, depression, and stress levels of inpatients with cancer are relatively high. It is necessary to pay special attention to the psychological status of these patients during clinical diagnosis and treatment to improve their quality of life.