Talking to doctors
Doctors sometimes talk about a growth, tumour, lesion or ulcer without making it clear whether it's cancer. If you find you're confused by this, you can ask directly if it is cancer, or ask whether the growth, tumour, lesion or ulcer is malignant (cancerous) or benign (not cancerous).
Don't be afraid to ask your doctors and nurses any questions you may have, and repeat those questions if you forget or don't understand the answers that were given to you. You may find it useful to write things down, or take someone with you.
Treatment
Treatment usually begins soon after cancer is diagnosed. The treatment offered will depend on what type of cancer you have, what parts of your body are affected and your general state of health. There may be several options to consider and several decisions to be made, so make sure you are happy with the information your doctor gives you. You can discuss all the options with your doctors and nurses and ask as many questions as you want.
The most common cancer treatments are radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery and hormone treatment. Visit our Cancerbackup site for information on all of the these options, as well as other treatments including complementary and supportive therapies.
Coping with treatment
As normal life seems to carry on regardless, it can feel as though your own life is taken over by treatment. Going to hospital can be unsettling, and can make you feel anxious and isolated, so support is very important. If the effects of treatment are worrying or upsetting you, it is important to tell the staff who are treating you. They may be able to do something to help.
You may also find it useful to talk to someone who has already had the treatment that is being recommended for you. Ask your doctor or specialist nurse what is available in your area. There may be a cancer information and support centre at your hospital. Speaking on the phone, via email or face to face, Macmillan has lots of ways to offer you the support you need.
Don't be too disheartened if you don't find the right support for you in the first place you try. Sometimes the best support can come from unexpected sources.
After Treatment
If the cancer seems to have responded well to treatment, then doctors will probably still want you to come back to the hospital outpatient clinic at regular intervals for a check-up. As time goes by, these visits are likely to become less frequent and then cease if there are no problems.
After treatment has ended, you may be low or worried, and feel that this is the most vulnerable time for you. Remember that you can still talk to your hospital doctor and GP, or telephone the staff on the ward or department where you received treatment. You may also want to join a self help and support group, or speak to staff at a Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service or on one of our helplines. You can also enrol on our self management course on the Learn Zone, to help with support after treatment.
Further Treatment
Sometimes the original cancer (called the primary cancer) will return, or a new area of growth will be found (known as secondary cancer). This can be a very worrying time, but it does not mean that the cancer cannot be treated successfully. Your hospital doctor will probably recommend another course of therapy or surgery.
If, however, you are told that further treatment or surgery will not help, this does not mean that nothing more can be done. There will certainly be treatments available to control the symptoms caused by the cancer. Find out more about dealing with advanced cancer on our Cancerbackup site.
Palliative & Hospice Care
Palliative care focuses on controlling pain and other symptoms connected with cancer, and meeting your social, emotional and spiritual needs.
Palliative care should be offered to everyone who has cancer, but it is especially important for people whose cancer cannot be cured. Some people need specialist palliative care support, which may be provided by teams of health professionals working from hospitals or in the community.
Hospice care allows people whose illness is no longer curable to achieve the best quality of life. Staff are trained to advise on pain and symptom control. Although many hospices offer their services to people who are not terminally ill, but would benefit from palliative care, they also give emotional support to patients, their loved ones and friends during the person with cancer's last illness and after bereavement. Find a list of hospices in the UK and overseas on our Cancerbackup site.