Side-Effects Management

Nurse navigator Deborah Gomer explains the causes, symptoms, and prevention methods of mucositis, an oral and digestive system condition interfering with eating, swallowing, and talking and affecting roughly 50% of patients who receive chemotherapy.

Fatigue is a common complaint of people facing cancer that can affect them during and after treatment. Registered Dietitian Julie Lanford provides tips on energy-boosting foods and simple nourishment ideas to help combat fatigue during cancer.

Hand-foot skin reactions are a type of side effect associated with targeted therapies, a newer type of cancer treatment. Oncology nurse navigator Cheryl Bellomo recommends strategies to ease the pain and skin sensitivity associated with these reactions.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Care Network and the American Society of Clinical Oncology recently issued the first set of recommendations for the management of immunotherapy side-effects.

Getting enough sleep is important for our health and brain function, especially for patients with cancer, who often have difficulty sleeping through the night. Read these tips on how to improve your sleep while dealing with cancer.

Patients who are receiving immunotherapy should consult with their doctor immediately if and when any side effects occur, because immune-related adverse events may occur during therapy or even after discontinuation of therapy.

The long-term side effects of treatment can be an overlooked part of cancer care. "We're learning as they're surviving, and we can't assume we know everything," says Pam Simon, MSN.

Breast cancer survivor Lisa D’Ottavio describes the side effects of treatment that she experienced, from chemo hair loss, neuropathy, and lymphedema, to radiation effects and more.

Andrea Brennan, a certified lymphedema therapist, sheds light on the challenges faced with lymphedema associated with breast cancer and debunks several myths about the disease.