CopeLink » Treatment Side Effects

Most Promising Cancer Treatment Advances of 2011

Jeanie M. Barnett — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:47:16 +0000

New treatment therapies and promising results from a variety of clinical trials over this year are giving new hope to people affected by cancer. Showcased at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held this past June in Chicago, these advances and breakthroughs in cancer treatments were especially encouraging for people with melanoma, breast cancer, lung cancer and numerous other diagnoses which have been difficult to treat.

CancerCare has compiled these most promising findings in its new booklet, Your Guide to the Latest Cancer Research and Treatments: Highlights from ASCO 2011, available online now. You can also order your free copies from our publications page.

New Booklets on Mouth Pain and Multiple Myeloma

Kyle Hornyak — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:59:25 +0000

CancerCare’s newest Connect Booklet, Managing Oral Mucositis, is now available.

The term “oral mucositis” refers to mouth sores caused by irritation of the mucosa, soft tissues that cover the tongue and inside of the mouth. Our new booklet offers tips on controlling mouth pain and managing this side effect of some cancer treatments.

Read the booklet or order free copies.

Our new e-booklet, Advances in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma, is now live on www.cancercare.org. The e-booklet describes the different treatment options for multiple myeloma, and offers tips on coping with the emotional and practical challenges of a multiple myeloma diagnosis.

Read the e-booklet.

Like all of CancerCare’s services, our publications are available to you completely free of charge. View all of CancerCare’s in-stock publications.

Breast Cancer Focus of Free Connect Workshops

Kyle Hornyak — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:50:56 +0000

Leading experts in breast cancer treatment will answer your questions this month during three Connect Education Workshops:

“Caring for Your Bones When You Have Breast Cancer” on Friday, October 7
“Progress in the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer” on Thursday, October 13
“Current Perspectives on Early Stage Breast Cancer” on Friday, October 28

Listen in live by telephone or online. These workshops will also be available as podcasts.

Like all of CancerCare’s services, our Connect Education Workshops are completely free of charge — no phone charges apply. However, pre-registration is required.

Learn more about our free, professional support services for people coping with breast cancer.

Resources for Post-Transplant Survivors

jzahora — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:39:34 +0000

Celebrating a Second Chance at Life is a two-day event for bone marrow, stem cell, and cord blood transplant survivors and their loved ones.

Taking place Sept. 10-11 in Atlanta, GA, this symposium covers topics such as how to manage the emotional challenges of long-term survivorship, family planning after a transplant, navigating insurance issues, and coping with chemobrain.

Learn more about this event.

CancerCare also offers survivorship resources including information about coping with chemobrain and post-treatment survivorship issues. Professionally moderated post-treatment support groups are also available.

Questions About Post-Treatment Survivorship? Ask CancerCare

Kyle Hornyak — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:16:22 +0000

Advances in treatment are allowing more people than ever before to live with and beyond cancer. Today, there are more than 12 million cancer survivors in the United States. A cancer diagnosis can have long-term effects on a person’s physical health, emotional well-being, and finances, long after their treatment has ended.

Do you have questions or concerns about being a cancer survivor? Submit your question to CancerCare.

CancerCare oncology social worker Maria Chi, LCSW will answer questions through the month of August in the “Ask CancerCare” section of our website. Questions are submitted anonymously, and responses to selected questions will be posted on the “Ask CancerCare” section of our website.

CancerCare offers free, professional support services on post-treatment survivorship including our recent Connect Education Workshop, “Survivorship and Workplace Transitions,” and free publications such as After Treatment Ends: Tools for the Adult Cancer Survivor.

Visit our website to learn more about CancerCare’s free resources for post-treatment cancer survivors.

New Article on Coping with Treatment-Related Rash and Dry Skin

Kyle Hornyak — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:18:13 +0000

Longtime CancerCare Connect Education Workshop presenter Mario E. Lacouture, MD writes about treating rash and dry skin as a result of cancer treatment in the latest issue of Oncology Times.

Dr. Lacouture, a world-renowned dermatologist, has served as a medical expert during numerous CancerCare Connect Education Workshops, including “Understanding and Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects.”

Dr. Lacouture with CancerCare Director of Education and Training Carolyn Messner, DSW at CancerCare's Annual Spring Gala

Read the Oncology Times article.

More tips for coping with rash and dry skin from treatment can be found in CancerCare’s free publications, “Tips for Managing Treatment-Related Rash and Dry Skin” and “Caring for Your Skin During Cancer Treatment.”

Chemobrain May Not Be Due to Just Chemo

Monica Cavazos Mendez — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:16:07 +0000

People with a history of cancer are 40 percent more likely to report memory impairment, says a recent study from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Such problems with memory and thinking are commonly referred to as “chemobrain,” but the study authors point to possible causes other than chemotherapy including:

Other treatments, such as radiation or hormonal therapy
Possible changes in brain chemistry due to the cancer itself
Psychological distress caused by the diagnosis and illness
A combination of any or all of the above.

Read more in yesterday’s New York Times article about the study. Get tips for managing chemobrain in CancerCare‘s fact sheet series on this topic:

Coping with Hair Loss from Chemotherapy

Monica Cavazos Mendez — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:49:36 +0000

In a recent posting to the New York Times health blog “Well,” oncology nurse Theresa Brown relates her experiences in helping two patients shave their heads when the gradual hair loss from chemotherapy became intolerable.

The stories she shares reveal, in her words, “how difficult it can be to lose your hair as a by-product of saving your own life.” Of course, each patient reacts to treatment-related hair loss in their own personal way, as reader’s comments on the blog illustrate:

“I had chemo last year and loved being bald. My son and I went together to have our heads shaved and our local paper made a video of it,” says one woman. Another writes, “I lost my hair twice due to different treatment regimens and each time there were emotions associated that I did not expect.”

CancerCare social workers offer the following tips to individuals coping with hair loss:

Buy a wig before all of your hair falls out. This way, you will have a good match to your own hair color.
Get a professional fitting. There are full-service wig salons that fit and style wigs.
Find out if your health insurance company covers the cost of wigs. If so, remember to save your receipt.

For additional tips, read CancerCare‘s fact sheet, “Tips for Managing Hair Loss.”

One commentator to the “Well” blog offers the following helpful advice to parents with cancer who are contemplating going bald:

“Parents with school aged children should talk to their kids and set expectations with them. Our kids were fine with their Mom being bald AT HOME, but when she was at school they requested that she wear a wig so she would look normal.”

Do you have some tips of your own? We invite you to share them with our readers by leaving a comment on this page.