1. Health
2. Cancer

cancer treatment

• Article - Nausea and Cancer Treatment: What You Can Do

  Chemotherapy is the number one cause of nausea in cancer patients. The first step to preventing nausea is to take the threat of nausea seriously.

• Article - Neuropathy and Chemotherapy: What You Can Do

  Chemotherapy can cause neuropathy, the medical term for nerve damage. Here's what you can do to prevent and minimize neuropathy and nerve damage.

• Article - Clinical Trials: How to Get Your Parent Accepted and Enrolled

  How to get a parent with cancer accepted and enrolled in the best clinical trial available.

• Article - Getting a Second Opinion When Your Parent Is Diagnosed With Cancer

  Guidance from Caring.com on when, why, and how to get a second opinion on your parent's cancer diagnosis.

• Article - Nausea: Helping Your Parent Keep Up His Appetite

  An action plan for helping your parent with cancer boost his appetite so he can get the nutrition he needs.

• Article - How to Create a Strong Cancer Support Team

  A set of guidelines for assembling a cancer support team -- from professional caregivers to family helpers.

• Article - Understanding Low Red Blood Counts

  Chemotherapy can cause low red blood cell (RBC) counts. Understand the RBC tests, low red blood count symptoms and what to do about them.

• Article - Cancer and Mouth Sores

  Mouth sores are one of the most common side effects of cancer and chemotherapy. Learn how to prevent, treat and reduce the pain of chemo mouth sores.

• Article - How to Have Strong Communication With Your Parent's Medical Staff

  Basic approaches to getting the information you need to make good decisions about your parent's medical care.

• Interview - Talking With Hope Rugo

  An oncologist who was also a caregiver to her mother before she died of breast cancer offers advice to other caregivers.

• Article - Radiation Therapy: A Guide to Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy and the Latest Technology

  Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) offers new cancer treatments. A guide to different IMRTs, how they work, and what each does best.

• Article - How to Ask for Help With Cancer Care Giving

  Get support you can use in caring for a parent with cancer with this guide to how to ask for assistance and ways to help you may not have thought of.

• Article - 12 Ways to Cope with "Chemo Brain"

  Strategies for helping your parent who's being treated for cancer with issues of memory, concentration, and organization.

• Article - How to Make Sure You Understand Your Parent's Cancer Prognosis

  This article helps you understand the implications of your parent's cancer prognosis.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - Tired No More: New Drug Can Treat Cancer Fatigue

  New research shows that the narcolepsy drug Provigil can treat cancer fatigue.

• Blog Post - Media Focus on Patrick Swayze's Cancer Begs the Real Questions

  The sudden media attention on Patrick Swayze's diagnosis...

• Blog Post - Should Cancer Patients Take a Chemo Vacation?

  Most news headlines about cancer treatment trumpet...

Questions & Answers

• Question - What's the best way to ask for a second opinion on my mother's breast cancer?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - How can I convince my father to stop chemotherapy that's no longer working?

  When is it time to stop chemotherapy? My father wants to continue chemo, even though it's stopped working, because he wants to "keep on fighting."

• Question - How can I get the doctor to be more responsive when my mother has side effects from chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I overcome my father's refusal to ask for help with his cancer care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I get my parent's doctor to give us complete and honest information?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How effective is Dioxil in treating sarcoma?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Does guided imagery really control cancer-related pain?

  Is guided meditation or guided imagery helpful in relieving pain from cancer or other diseases? Studies have shown that guided meditation can help.

• Question - How can I get my parent's doctor to explain his cancer treatment in a way I can understand?

  When you're having trouble understanding your parent's doctor or oncologist, try these communication tricks to get her to explain more clearly.

• Question - How can I get my parent to eat without nagging?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - How do I help my mother cope with the side effects from being administered Adriamycin, more than five years ago?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I help my parent control nausea while he's on chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I get help, such as someone to assist with housework, for a relative undergoing cancer treatment that also lives alone?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why do experts say laughter is helpful for those with cancer?

  Some expert commentary on the benefits of laughter for people with cancer.

• Question - a friend tells me i am emotional over having ovarian cancer,...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why does my mother talk about health issues -- in excruciating detail?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is it ok to smoke when you are going through chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Sex and chemo: Is it safe for the woman?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is chemotherapy a common treatment for Rhumatoid Arthitis?

  Is chemo used for rheumatoid arthritis? Rheumatoid arthritis is treated with low doses of chemo to ease inflammation caused by the autoimmune disease.

• Question - What can I expect when my mother being receiving chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Answer to Can You Drive a Car While Having Chemo Question

  Driving while having chemo is a personal decision based on how the cancer patient if feeling and whether fatigue and other symptoms might interfere with driving.

• Question - Is shaking as a side effect for chemo for non-hodgkins lymphoma serious?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - I HAVE HEARD WOMENS BODY'S CHANGE AFTER CHEMO. I CAN'T SEEM...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What types of foods are healthiest for chemo patients?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can chemo affect a person's personality?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My father has bladder cancer and he no longer want to eat or drink. Is there anything we can do?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Are chills a side effect of chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Why would chemo cause stomach pain for my dad, who has stage 4 colon cancer?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Should we see an ear, nose and throat specialist for my mother's issues with taste?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What could be causing a low white and red blood cell count and low platelet count in a former cancer patient?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is it safe for a patient doing chemo get a tattoo?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can cancer be treated as aggressively if you have COPD?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I get my father, who's depressed about being treated for cancer, to talk about how he's feeling?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does chemo change your voice?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can I take for persistent uncontrolled coughing while taking chemo that won't make me sleepy?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - Give Liquids Before Meals to Prevent Nausea

  Cancer patients battling nausea often find they start...

• Tip - Be Wary of Consuming Too Much Ginger to Combat Nausea

  Ginger is often recommended for nausea. Too much ginger may raise the risk of internal bleeding in chemotherapy patients with low platelet counts.

• Tip - Use a Personal Fan to Combat Nausea

  Nausea, which affects about half of those who undergo...

• Tip - Reduce Tingling and Numbness from Neuropathy With Powdered L-Glutamine

  The drugs used for chemotherapy have the unfortunate...

• Tip - Suck on Zinc Lozenges to Combat a Bad Taste in the Mouth

  It's common among cancer patients to complain of a...

• Tip - Ear Tubes Can Relieve Earache After Brain Radiation

  One of the common side effects of radiation treatment...

• Tip - Put on Support Hose First Thing in the Morning to Prevent Edema

  An ongoing problem for cancer patients is swelling...

• Tip - Keep Your Parent Well Hydrated to Combat Nausea

  To keep nausea in check, make sure your parent starts...

• Tip - Butterscotch Candies Help with "Tinny" Mouth

  Sucking on flavored candies can help rid your mouth of the metallic taste that comes with some chemotherapy drugs.