Publications and resources for people affected by cancer

A lot can happen in a hurry when you’re diagnosed with cancer. These guides can help you make sense of what should happen. They will help you with what questions to ask your health professionals to make sure you receive the best care at every step.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about anal cancer.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about bladder cancer.

This booklet is to help you understand more about bowel cancer (colon or rectal).

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about brain and spinal cord tumours. It provides information about both non-cancerous (benign) and cancerous (malignant) tumours which are diagnosed and treated similarly.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about early breast cancer, how it is diagnosed and treated.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about cancer of unknown primary.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about cancer of the cervix.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about head and neck cancer, a general term for cancers in the mouth, nose and throat areas.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about kidney cancer and renal cell carcinoma.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about cancer that affects the liver.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about lung cancer.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about melanoma.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about Mesothelioma.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about ovarian cancer.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about cancer of the pancreas.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about primary bone cancer, also known as bone sarcoma.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about prostate cancer.

This booklet has been prepared to help you learn more about the two most common types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about stomach and oesophageal cancers.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about testicular cancer.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about thyroid cancer.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about cancer of the uterus.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about two rare gynaecological diseases: cancer of the vulva and cancer of the vagina.

We hope this booklet will help you understand more about rare and less common cancers. It offers suggestions for coping with your diagnosis; making treatment decisions; looking after yourself before, during and after treatment; as well as providing information about support services. You don’t need to read it from cover to cover – just read the parts that are useful to you.

Topics include 'what is chemotherapy?', managing side effects, making treatment decisions and supportive care.

Sometimes called natural therapies, complementary therapies may offer you physical, emotional and spiritual support, reduced side effects from medical treatment and improved quality of life.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about palliative care for people affected by cancer.

This booklet answers questions about radiotherapy, why and how it is used, possible side effects and special issues and supportive care.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about surgery, one of the main treatments for cancer.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about breast prostheses and reconstruction.

This booklet aims to help you make an informed decision about participating in cancer research, covering general information about the different types and how you can get involved in a clinical trial or research.

This booklet is for people dying with cancer and their families and friends.

This booklet answers many common questions about fertilty issues and suggests ways to bring up this topic with your medical team.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about cancer that has spread from its original (primary) site or has come back (recurred).

This booklet will give you useful information to help understand pain and manage it with different treatments.

This booklet is for people with cancer and their partners. it aims to help you:understand and deal with the ways cancer and its treatment may affect your sexuality.

This booklet is for people who are caring for someone with cancer, including information on common emotional reactions, other carers' experiences, caring for yourself, asking others for help, how relationships change, communication, advanced cancer, death and grieving and support and information

This booklet provides practical tips about how to talk to others about your diagnosis, your treatment and how you're feeling. You'll find some suggestions for working together to adjust to these challenges.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about your grief when someone close to you has died from cancer.

This booklet aims to provide information about the benefits exercise may have during and after cancer treatments.

Downloadable audio tracks from the five Life Now audio series: Cancer and sexuality; Communication; Life after cancer treatment; Meditation and relaxation; Eating well and keeping active.

This booklet is for people who have finished active treatment for cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is about the emotional,physical and practical and social challenges that you may face now that treatment is over.

This booklet has been prepared to help you understand more about nutrition and dietary requirements during and after your cancer treatment.

Many people diagnosed with cancer worry how they will manage their finances. You may have health-related expenses and incur specialist fees; costs related to transport, accommodation, child care or complementary therapies. Cancer may mean a loss of income if you have to take time off work.

This booklet is for people starting their journey through the health care system after a cancer diagnosis. Knowing what you can reasonably expect of the health care system and your treatment team can help you work in partnership with your health care providers and take an active role in your care.

Cancer, work and you is a practical resource for employees and self-employed people with cancer, and working carers. It contains information about how cancer can affect your ability to work.

The Cancer Council Pro Bono Program can help if you or someone in your family has cancer, and need workplace, financial or legal advice. For eligible clients, professional assistance is free if you pass a means test.

This fact sheet has been designed to assist cancer patients and carers with appointments by phone or video instead of face-to-face. These are both types of telehealth.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about anal cancer.

This fact sheet may help you understand more about changes some people experience. It provides
suggestions about how to manage your day-to-day tasks and improve thinking and memory.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about fatigue, a common side effect of cancer and cancer treatments. We hope this fact sheet will help you, your family and friends understand what fatigue is and how it can be managed.

This fact sheet provides information for people who are having trouble paying their debts. For general information on managing your finances during and after cancer, see Cancer Council’s booklet Cancer
and Your Finances.

This fact sheet answers some common questions people have about their rights at work. It explains
the laws that apply to most Australian employees, (except some state and local government employees and employees of partnerships).

Hair loss can be a side effect of many treatments and it is only natural to be concerned and to want to know if anything can be done about it.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about immunotherapy treatment for people affected by cancer.

This fact sheet is a guide for those affected by Lymphoedema.

Oral complications are common in patients receiving chemotherapy or undergoing radiation therapy to the head or neck area. Topics include, side effects, long term complications, pre-treatment prevention and mouth care during treatment.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about the nerve condition known as peripheral neuropathy, which sometimes happens because of cancer or cancer treatment.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about primary bone cancer, also known as bone sarcoma.

This fact sheet is written as a guide for asking the doctor questions to help better understand your treatment and care plan.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about secondary bone cancer. It includes basic information about how secondary bone cancer is diagnosed and treated.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about targeted therapy, a treatment offered to some people with cancer. We hope this fact sheet will help you, your family and friends understand what targeted therapy is and how it may help treat cancer.

This fact sheet has been prepared to help you understand more about the possible side effects of cancer treatments on your experience of eating.

Many people worry about what will happen to their debts after they die. Often they are concerned that their family members will be responsible for paying off what they owe.
This fact sheet explains what happens to debts after a person dies.