Coping with side-effects of cancer treatment
Tips on managing symptoms and side-effects during and after cancer treatment.
Cancer and cancer treatments can cause a range of side-effects. They can happen:
- During treatment
- A short time after treatment has ended
- Some time after treatment - we have [more information about coping with late side-effects]

Track and report any side-effects
It’s very important to be aware of any changes and let your medical team know about them, even if they happen some time after treatment. There are treatments to help with most side-effects.
Even if a symptom is not troubling you too much, it’s still best to let your medical team know how you’re feeling, as it may be a symptom of something else. For example, fatigue may be a sign that your red blood cell count is low or that your treatment is affecting your hormone levels. If this is the case, you can have treatment to help you feel better.
Keeping track of side-effects: Keep a diary or use a mobile phone app to note how you’re feeling. You can ask your consultant or specialist nurse about this.
Types of side-effects
About suggestions
Cancers starting with: T
- Taking care of yourself
- Talking about your cancer
- Talking about your child’s cancer
- Talking to children about BRCA
- Targeted therapies
- Targeted therapies and immunotherapy for melanoma
- Targeted therapies for breast cancer
- Targeted therapies for leukaemia
- Targeted therapies for lymphoma
- Targeted therapies for metastatic breast cancer
- Targeted therapies/immunotherapy for children’s cancers
- Testicular cancer
- Testicular cancer after treatment
- Testicular cancer diagnosis and tests
- Testicular cancer signs and symptoms
- Testicular cancer treatment
- Testing link list blocks
- Tests after a diagnosis of breast cancer
- Tests to examine children’s cells and genes
- The Transport Service for Children
- Thymus gland cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Thyroid cancer after treatment
- Thyroid cancer diagnosis and tests
- Thyroid cancer signs and symptoms
- Tongue cancer
- Tonsil cancer
- Total body irradiation
- Travel insurance and cancer
- Treating lung cancer symptoms
- Treating myeloma symptoms
- Treating relapsed or resistant multiple myeloma
- Treatment by mouth (oral therapies)
- Treatment for metastatic cancer
- Treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer
- Treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
- Treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
- Treatment to relieve brain tumour symptoms
- Treatment to relieve pancreatic cancer symptoms
- Triple negative breast cancer
- TURBT surgery
- Types of brain tumours
- Types of breast reconstruction
- Types of external radiotherapy
- Types of immunotherapy
- Types of NETs
- Types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Types of oesophageal cancer
- Types of sarcoma
T
- Taking care of yourself
- Talking about your cancer
- Talking about your child’s cancer
- Talking to children about BRCA
- Targeted therapies
- Targeted therapies and immunotherapy for melanoma
- Targeted therapies for breast cancer
- Targeted therapies for leukaemia
- Targeted therapies for lymphoma
- Targeted therapies for metastatic breast cancer
- Targeted therapies/immunotherapy for children’s cancers
- Testicular cancer
- Testicular cancer after treatment
- Testicular cancer diagnosis and tests
- Testicular cancer signs and symptoms
- Testicular cancer treatment
- Testing link list blocks
- Tests after a diagnosis of breast cancer
- Tests to examine children’s cells and genes
- The Transport Service for Children
- Thymus gland cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Thyroid cancer after treatment
- Thyroid cancer diagnosis and tests
- Thyroid cancer signs and symptoms
- Tongue cancer
- Tonsil cancer
- Total body irradiation
- Travel insurance and cancer
- Treating lung cancer symptoms
- Treating myeloma symptoms
- Treating relapsed or resistant multiple myeloma
- Treatment by mouth (oral therapies)
- Treatment for metastatic cancer
- Treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer
- Treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
- Treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
- Treatment to relieve brain tumour symptoms
- Treatment to relieve pancreatic cancer symptoms
- Triple negative breast cancer
- TURBT surgery
- Types of brain tumours
- Types of breast reconstruction
- Types of external radiotherapy
- Types of immunotherapy
- Types of NETs
- Types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Types of oesophageal cancer
- Types of sarcoma