two women of different races smiling and laughing on a walk

Managing Side Effects

Receiving a cancer diagnosis and undergoing cancer treatment can be challenging for both you and your loved ones. Unwanted side effects can intensify the disruption in your life even further.

Side Effects

Your body, cancer diagnosis, and cancer treatment are unique. Talk to your doctor about what side effects are likely to occur and about ways to manage and treat them. Here are some quick tips to help you deal with some side effects of treatment. These are just some of the common side effects. You may experience other side effects that are not listed. Your best resource is your health care team; they know your unique situation and will provide you with tailored advice to help make you more comfortable through your treatment.


Below is a list of common side effects. Click on the side effect for more information and ways to cope:

WATCH

Side Effects of Cancer Treatment: Changing Taste of Food

1 min

Caregivers and patients share how the side effects of cancer treatment can change the taste of food.

Common Side Effects

Fatigue

Fatigue is described as feeling tired, weary, exhausted or worn out, often more intense than has ever been experienced before.

fatigue

Pain & Neuropathy

Pain can keep you from living your life as fully as possible.

pain and neuropathy

Sleep Changes

Getting enough rest is an important part of staying healthy. People with cancer often report problems with getting the right amount of sleep.

sleep changes

Cognitive Changes

Cancer and cancer treatment can affect your thinking, memory, concentration and behavior.

white woman looking off to the side in the woods

Weight Change

It is common to experience weight changes before, during and after cancer treatment.

weight loss or gain

Intimacy, Sex and Fertility Issues

In addition, some types of cancer treatment can affect your ability to have children.

intimacy sex and fertility
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Coping with Side Effects Book

This book has a lot of information about coping with cancer treatment side effects. It may be too much to take in all at once. Feel free to use this book as a guide, and only refer to the content you need, as you need it. You may have opened this book because you have a specific question or concern.

Coping with Side Effects

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