Based on National Cancer Institute resources
Side effects, explained
Plain-language explainers on the side effects of cancer and its treatment — what they are, why they may happen, and questions to bring to your care team.
A note before you read: this is educational information, not medical advice. Side effects vary from person to person — even among people receiving the same treatment. Your health care team is the right source for advice about your situation.
Some side effects can’t wait
Most side effects can be discussed at your next visit — but a few mean call your care team now, day or night. Based on CDC and National Cancer Institute guidance, these include:
- Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or shaking chills — during chemotherapy a fever is a medical emergency: call immediately, at any hour.
- Vomiting or diarrhea that won’t stop, or being unable to keep liquids down — dehydration can develop fast.
- Bleeding that doesn’t stop, or blood in vomit, stool, or urine.
- New trouble breathing, chest pain, or sudden confusion — call 911 or your local emergency number.
Your care team may give you a different temperature threshold or after-hours number — their instructions come first. Learn more in Fever During Chemotherapy and Infection and Neutropenia.
Priority safety guides
Start with side effects that can change quickly
These pages now have direct hub links because they are common, high-stakes search needs. Follow your oncology team’s instructions first, especially after hours.
- Neutropenic feverFever plus low white blood cells can become dangerous quickly.
- Fever during chemotherapyWhy a fever plan and after-hours number matter during chemo.
- Blood clotsLeg swelling, chest pain, shortness of breath, and clot questions.
- Immunotherapy pneumonitisCough, breathing symptoms, and lung inflammation questions.
- Immunotherapy colitisDiarrhea and bowel inflammation questions during immunotherapy.
- Immunotherapy hepatitisLiver test changes, symptoms, and care-team questions.
- Rash during treatmentWhen rash needs a call and what details to tell the team.
- NeuropathyNumbness, tingling, pain, balance, and daily-safety questions.
Digestion
Eating, appetite, taste, and stomach or bowel changes.
Side Effects
Constipation and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language look at why constipation happens during cancer treatment and the ways people can prevent and relieve it
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Diarrhea and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of why diarrhea happens during cancer treatment, how it is managed, and when to call your team
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Mouth and Throat Problems and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of mouth and throat problems during cancer treatment
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Nausea and Vomiting and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of nausea and vomiting during cancer treatment
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Taste Changes and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of why cancer treatment can change the way food tastes and smells, and ways people manage it
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Weight Changes During Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of why cancer and its treatment can cause weight loss or weight gain, and how care teams help people stay nourished
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Weight Changes, Appetite Loss, and Cancer
A plain-language guide to appetite loss, weight loss, weight gain, and malnutrition during cancer treatment, with practical eating tips
6 min read · Beginner
Energy & sleep
Fatigue and trouble sleeping.
Side Effects
Cancer Fatigue: Why It Happens and What Helps
A plain-language explanation of cancer-related fatigue—what causes it, how it differs from ordinary tiredness, and ways to manage it
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sleep Problems in People With Cancer
A plain-language look at why sleep problems are common during cancer treatment and the steps that can help you rest better
5 min read · Beginner
Skin & hair
Hair loss and skin or nail changes.
Side Effects
Hair Loss (Alopecia) and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language guide to hair loss during cancer treatment—why it happens, how to care for your scalp, and when hair usually grows back
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Skin and Nail Changes During Cancer Treatment
A plain-language guide to skin and nail side effects of cancer treatment—like dryness, rash, and nail problems
5 min read · Beginner
Blood counts
Anemia, infection risk, and bleeding or bruising.
Side Effects
Anemia and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of anemia during cancer treatment—what it is, its signs, why it happens, and ways to manage it
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Bleeding and Bruising (Thrombocytopenia) in Cancer
A plain-language explanation of bleeding and bruising during cancer treatment
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Infection and Neutropenia During Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of infection and neutropenia during cancer treatment
7 min read · Beginner
Mind & emotions
Thinking, memory, and emotional changes.
Side Effects
Chemo Brain: Memory and Concentration Problems
A plain-language explanation of memory and concentration problems during cancer treatment—often called chemo brain
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Emotional Distress and Cancer
A plain-language look at the difficult emotions cancer can bring — fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, and more
6 min read · Beginner
Body changes
Pain, nerves, swelling, fertility, and sexual health.
Side Effects
A rash showed up mid-chemo cycle. What now?
Rashes are common during chemotherapy and targeted therapy. NCI's guidance covers gentle skin care, sun protection, and which rashes need urgent attention.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Airway Obstruction During Cancer Care
A blocked airway is a minutes emergency. What to check first, when back blows help and when they cannot, and what to tell responders.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Anemia During Cancer Treatment
Anemia during cancer treatment can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, or a fast heartbeat. Learn what it means.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Anemia, Transfusions, and Cancer Fatigue
What causes anemia during cancer treatment, what it feels like, when a blood transfusion is considered, and which symptoms to tell your health care team about.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Appetite Loss During Cancer Treatment
What appetite loss can mean during cancer treatment, practical self-care steps, what to track, and when to call the care team.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Autoimmune Side Effects (irAEs) From Immunotherapy
Checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy can inflame healthy organs as well as tumors. Which symptoms to report, and which ones mean the emergency room now.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Axillary Web Syndrome (Cording) After Breast Surgery
A rope-like band under the arm after breast cancer surgery is called cording. Why it appears, how long it lasts, and how it differs from lymphedema.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Blood Clots During Cancer Treatment
How to recognize a blood clot during cancer treatment, which symptoms need immediate medical attention, why cancer raises clot risk, and how clots are treated.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Blood Clots, DVT, Pulmonary Embolism, and Cancer
Patient and caregiver planning for blood clots, dvt, pulmonary embolism, and cancer: warning changes, questions, safety limits, and care-team instructions.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Bone Loss After Hormone Therapy
Bone Loss After Hormone Therapy can affect cancer care. Learn symptoms to track, what to ask, and when to get urgent guidance.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Bone-Modifying Drugs and Bone Health in Cancer Care
How bisphosphonates and denosumab protect bone during cancer treatment, and why dental care before starting them matters.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Bowel Urgency & Radiation Proctitis Management
Pelvic radiation can irritate the rectal lining and cause sudden bowel urgency. How long it usually lasts, and when the chronic form needs review.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Brain Fog Followed Her Back to Work
Cognitive changes after cancer treatment and what they mean for working: what helps, what to ask for, and the accommodations worth requesting.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Breakthrough pain and when to take the extra dose
NCI describes breakthrough pain as pain that comes on suddenly while you are already taking medicine for ongoing pain, and advises not waiting until pain is bad before taking something.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cancer Brain Fog ('Chemo Brain'): Causes & Cognitive Tips
Cancer treatment can blunt memory and concentration. What causes brain fog, which treatable problems add to it, and how to describe it to your team.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cancer Cachexia & Muscle Wasting Prevention
A related term you may hear is sarcopenia, which NCI defines as the condition of severe muscle depletion.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cancer Fatigue Was More Than Being Tired
Cancer-related fatigue is not ordinary tiredness and rest does not fix it. What causes it, how it is assessed, and what genuinely helps.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cancer Fatigue: Will I Ever Feel Normal Again?
Fatigue often outlasts treatment, sometimes by months. Why it happens, what helps, and which treatable causes like anemia or depression to rule out.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cancer Pain: Causes and How It's Managed
A plain-language guide to cancer-related pain—what causes it, how a pain control plan works, the types of pain medicine, and non-drug approaches
6 min read · Intermediate
Side Effects
Cancer Treatment Side Effects Nobody Prepared Me For
Side effects that rarely get mentioned up front: food tasting wrong, numb feet, ringing ears, dry eyes, and lymphedema that can start years later.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cancer-Related Hypercalcemia
Patient and caregiver planning for cancer-related hypercalcemia: warning changes, questions, safety limits, and care-team instructions.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cancer-Related Pain & Symptom Management
Understanding pain scales, palliative care integration, and non-pharmacologic relief.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cardio-Oncology: Protecting Your Heart
What cardio-oncology is, which cancer treatments can affect the heart, and practical steps to protect your heart before, during, and after treatment.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cardiotoxicity & Protecting Heart Health During Care
The first is a weakening of the heart muscle, known as congestive heart failure.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Changing a central line dressing at home, step by step
A plain-language walkthrough of how a central venous catheter dressing is changed at home, what supplies are used, and which signs mean you should call your provider.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Chemo Brain: What Helps and What to Ask
Chemo Brain: What Helps and What to Ask can affect cancer care. Learn symptoms to track, what to ask, and when to get urgent guidance.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Chemo Port Infections, Blockages, and Blood Clots
A port can become infected, blocked, or cause a clot. The signs of each, how quickly to report them, and what your team does about it.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Chemo-Induced Menopause & Hot Flash Relief
Chemotherapy can stop the ovaries working within weeks, so menopause arrives suddenly. What that means for hot flashes, bones, and estrogen options.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Chest Numbness & Phantom Breast Sensations
Many people are told a great deal about their surgery and almost nothing about what their chest will feel like afterward.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cold Caps & Scalp Cooling to Reduce Hair Loss
Scalp cooling is real, it is regulated, and it works for some people some of the time.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cold Drinks Suddenly Hurt: Oxaliplatin Cold Sensitivity
Cold sensitivity during oxaliplatin chemotherapy: why cold drinks and air suddenly hurt, how long it lasts, and how to manage daily life around it.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Cold Sensitivity During Oxaliplatin Chemotherapy
Cold sensitivity during oxaliplatin treatment is not a reaction to temperature in the ordinary sense. It is a nerve effect.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Compression Garments & Sleeves for Lymphedema
A compression sleeve is not a bandage for an injury. It is a working part of your treatment, and it does its job only while you are wearing it.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Constipation During Cancer Treatment
What constipation can mean during cancer treatment, practical self-care steps, what to track, and when to call the care team.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Constipation From Chemotherapy & Opioids
Constipation during cancer treatment is common and usually treatable. When to report it, why bowel plans start on day one, and what needs a go-ahead.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Creating a Cancer Symptom and Call Plan
Planning steps, questions, safety limits, and care-team support for creating a cancer symptom and call plan.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Dehydration During Cancer Treatment
Your body needs fluid to work as it should. When you don't have enough, that is dehydration.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Dental checks before starting bone-strengthening cancer drugs
Bisphosphonates and denosumab can lead to osteonecrosis of the jaw. NCI says screening and treating dental problems before starting these drugs may lower that risk.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Diarrhea During Cancer Treatment
What diarrhea can mean during cancer treatment, what to track, and what to ask before using medicines or changing treatment.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Dressing comfortably when radiation makes skin dry and peel
NCI describes the skin changes radiation can cause and recommends loose-fitting clothing, gentle washing, and avoiding heating pads, ice packs and bandages on the treatment area.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Dry mouth during cancer treatment, and living with it long term
Radiation to the head and neck can damage the glands that make saliva. Here is what NCI says about why dry mouth happens and how people manage it day to day.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Dry, cracked lips during chemotherapy
Chapped and cracking lips are a common part of the dry mouth that comes with cancer treatment. NCI's advice is straightforward: lip balm, fluids, and telling your team about pain.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Eating well when radiation is aimed near your stomach or intestines
Radiation to the abdomen or pelvis can bring cramps, bloating, nausea and diarrhea. NCI's Eating Hints booklet suggests specific foods to lean on and ones to step away from.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Eating when radiation is aimed near your digestive tract
Radiation to the abdomen, pelvis or rectum can cause diarrhoea. NCI's food advice for treatment-related diarrhoea covers what to drink, what to eat little and often, and what to leave out.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Edema vs. Lymphedema in Cancer
Edema and lymphedema both cause swelling, but they can have different causes and treatments in cancer care.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Erectile Dysfunction After Prostate Cancer Treatment
Erectile dysfunction means trouble getting or keeping an erection. After prostate cancer treatment it is common, expected, and treatable.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Everyday tasks when chemo has made your fingers numb
Buttons and jar lids get difficult when nerve damage affects the hands. NCI describes what is happening and gives safety advice, including using potholders to protect hands from burns.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Fatigue During Cancer Treatment
What fatigue can mean during cancer treatment, practical self-care steps, what to track, and when to call the care team.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Feeling dizzy after an infusion: what is usually behind it
Lightheadedness after chemotherapy often traces back to low red blood cell counts. NCI explains what to do about it and which symptoms need a call right away.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Fertility and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of how cancer treatment can affect fertility, why timing matters
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Fertility in Men After Cancer Treatment
How cancer and its treatment can affect male fertility, which treatments carry more risk, and what men can ask about recovery.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Fertility in Women After Cancer Treatment
How cancer treatment can affect a woman's fertility, what primary ovarian insufficiency means, and what to ask about becoming pregnant later.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Fertility Preservation & Early Menopause in Cancer Care
Cancer treatment can stop the ovaries working early. What primary ovarian insufficiency feels like, whether it reverses, and how to protect your bones.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Fertility Preservation Before Treatment Begins
Fertility preservation is one of the few cancer decisions that has a closing door on it.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Fever and Infection During Chemotherapy
A fever during chemotherapy is an emergency, not a wait-and-see. Learn the temperature thresholds, the other infection signs, and when to call your team.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Fever During Chemo: What to Know
What fever during chemo can mean, what details to track, and how to follow the care team's urgent fever plan.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Fever During Chemotherapy: Why It Can Be Urgent
A fever during chemotherapy can be a medical emergency because of low white blood cells. General education on why it matters and following your team's plan.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Food Stopped Tasting Like Food
Taste and smell changes during cancer treatment: why food tastes metallic or of nothing, when taste usually returns, and what helps you keep eating.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Footwear and fall safety when chemo has left your feet numb
NCI's advice for nerve damage from chemotherapy includes sturdy shoes with soft soles, wearing shoes indoors as well as out, and daily checks of the feet.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Frozen Shoulder After Mastectomy or Radiation
Weeks or months after breast surgery or radiation, the shoulder on the treated side no longer goes where you send it, and pushing harder only hurts.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Growth-Factor Injections (G-CSF) & Bone Pain Management
Growth-factor injections like G-CSF often cause a deep ache in the back and legs. Why it happens, how long it lasts, what helps, and which pain to report.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Hair Loss Changed More Than Appearance
Hair loss during cancer treatment: which treatments cause it, the timeline, scalp care, and the practical decisions about wigs and coverings.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Hair Loss During Cancer Treatment
What hair loss can mean during cancer treatment, practical self-care steps, what to track, and when to call the care team.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Hair Loss, Regrowth, and Personal Identity During Cancer
Hair after cancer treatment usually returns slowly and often changed in color or texture. What to expect month by month, and how to care for new growth.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Hand-Foot Syndrome During Cancer Treatment
Hand-Foot Syndrome During Cancer Treatment can affect cancer care. Learn symptoms to track, what to ask, and when to get urgent guidance.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Head and Neck Lymphedema After Cancer Treatment
Head and neck lymphedema after cancer treatment: why swelling happens in the face, neck, or throat, how it affects swallowing and voice, and therapy.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Hearing Loss & Tinnitus From Cisplatin Chemotherapy
Cisplatin is an effective chemotherapy drug for several cancers, and it can damage the inner ear. This damage is called ototoxicity.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Hiccups that will not stop: what causes them and what helps
Stubborn hiccups can be exhausting during cancer care. MedlinePlus explains what a hiccup is, what can set one off, and what doctors try when they last for days.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Hot Flashes During Cancer Treatment
Hot flashes and night sweats can happen during or after cancer treatment. Learn common causes and what to ask.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
How bad does chemo diarrhea have to get before you call?
Diarrhea during chemotherapy is common, but it can also become dangerous. Here is what the National Cancer Institute says about when to pick up the phone.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
How Cancer Treatment Can Affect Fertility
Some cancer treatments can lower fertility or cause infertility. What happens depends on the treatment, the dose, your age, and other factors.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
How diarrhoea severity is graded during cancer treatment
NCI describes a grading system based on how many extra bowel movements you are having, and flags that immunotherapy can inflame the colon. Both matter when deciding how urgently to act.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
How long to wear a compression garment after lymph node surgery
What NCI says about when to wear a compression sleeve or garment for lymphedema, who fits it, and the infection signs that need a same-day call.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Immune-Related Side Effects
How immune-related side effects can show up across organs, what to track, and what to ask during immunotherapy.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Immunotherapy Colitis & Severe Diarrhea Management
Immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs work by releasing the brakes on your immune system so it can recognize and attack cancer.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Immunotherapy Colitis: What to Ask
Questions to ask about diarrhea or bowel inflammation during immunotherapy, including tracking, testing, and treatment-plan effects.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Immunotherapy Endocrine Side Effects
Questions about thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, blood-sugar, and other hormone changes during immunotherapy.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Immunotherapy Hepatitis: What to Ask
What to ask when immunotherapy may affect liver tests, including symptoms, lab follow-up, medicines, and treatment timing.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Immunotherapy Pneumonitis: Symptoms & Prompt Care
A new or worsening cough or breathlessness on a checkpoint inhibitor can be pneumonitis. What NCI and FDA labeling say, and how fast to report it.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Immunotherapy Pneumonitis: What to Ask
Plain-language questions about immunotherapy pneumonitis, lung symptoms, testing, and what details help the care team respond.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Immunotherapy Side Effects: When to Call
Immunotherapy side effects can involve inflammation in different organs and may appear during or after treatment. Learn what to ask.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Intimacy & Sexual Health After Cancer Surgery
Your surgeon's instructions override anything you read here, because the answer depends on which operation you had and how you healed.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Jaw stiffness after head and neck radiation, and what helps
NCI describes trismus, its causes after oral surgery or radiation, why it should not be ignored, and the treatments used, which include jaw exercises and medical devices for the mouth.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Kidney Health & Hydration During Cancer Treatment
Your kidneys filter waste out of your blood. Several cancer treatments pass through them, and some can injure the filtering tissue.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Losing eyebrows and eyelashes during chemotherapy
Some chemotherapy drugs make hair fall out from the whole body, not only the scalp. Here is what the National Cancer Institute says about that, and about when hair comes back.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Loss of Nipple & Breast Sensation After Surgery
Many people are surprised by how numb the chest feels after breast surgery, partly because it is discussed less often than scars or reconstruction shape.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Low Platelets During Chemotherapy
Low platelets, also called thrombocytopenia, can raise bleeding and bruising risk during cancer treatment. Learn what to watch for.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Low White Blood Cells During Chemotherapy
What low white blood cells can mean during chemo, how it relates to infection risk, and what to ask about monitoring.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Lymphedema After Cancer Surgery
Lymphedema after cancer surgery or radiation: the early signs worth catching, what treatment involves, and the infection signs that need emergency care.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Lymphedema: Swelling After Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of lymphedema—swelling from a buildup of lymph fluid
8 min read · Intermediate
Side Effects
Malignant Bowel Obstruction
A blockage in advanced cancer usually builds over days, not minutes. What to report, why laxatives can backfire, and the goals conversation nobody warns you about.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing Cancer Pain With Integrative Approaches
What a joint ASCO/SIO guideline recommends about acupuncture, massage, and other integrative approaches for cancer pain, used alongside standard care.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing Cancer Symptoms Overnight and on Weekends
Planning steps, questions, safety limits, and care-team support for managing cancer symptoms overnight and on weekends.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing constipation from chemo or pain medicine
Constipation is a common side effect of some chemotherapy and of opioid pain medicines. NCI sets out what helps, what can make it worse, and when it needs urgent attention.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing Diarrhea & Dehydration During Cancer Treatment
The phrase that matters is than normal. Everything below is measured against your own usual pattern, not against someone else's.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing Food Aversions & Taste Changes After Chemo
Food aversions after chemotherapy are a learned link to feeling sick, not a taste problem. Practical ways to eat around them and when to call your team.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing nausea in late-stage cancer
Nausea can be a symptom of advanced cancer itself. NCI describes several classes of anti-sickness medicine and non-drug approaches, and lists signs that need the care team's attention.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing Pain During and After Cancer Treatment
Cancer pain can be treated. How to describe it so your team can act, when to take pain medicine, and why dependence is not the same as addiction.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing Several Cancer Side Effects at Once
Planning steps, questions, safety limits, and care-team support for managing several cancer side effects at once.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing Steroid Side Effects During Treatment
Steroids like dexamethasone and prednisone are used throughout cancer care. Their effects on infection risk, blood sugar, appetite, and sleep.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Managing Weight Gain During Cancer Treatment
Why weight gain happens during cancer treatment, the role of steroids, hormone therapy and reduced activity, what helps, and when to call.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Memory aids and work strategies for chemo brain
NCI's guidance on memory and concentration problems during cancer treatment covers written lists, planners, routine, sleep, exercise, and the specialists who can help.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Menopause Arrived Overnight: Chemo-Induced Menopause
Treatment-induced menopause arrives without the years of transition. What that abruptness means practically and emotionally, and what can help.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Metallic taste during chemo, and what to try
Taste changes are a recognised side effect of cancer treatment. NCI suggests marinating foods, adding spices, trying cold foods and switching utensils when a metallic taste appears.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Mouth Sores & Oral Care During Cancer Treatment
Mouth sores and dental problems are common during cancer treatment. A dental visit first, a daily mouth-care routine, eating tips, and when to call.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Mouth Sores During Cancer Treatment
What mouth sores can mean during cancer treatment, practical self-care steps, what to track, and when to call the care team.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Mucositis During Cancer Treatment
Mucositis During Cancer Treatment can affect cancer care. Learn symptoms to track, what to ask, and when to get urgent guidance.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Nausea During Cancer Treatment
What nausea can mean during cancer treatment, practical self-care steps, what to track, and when to call the care team.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Nausea, Appetite Loss, and Taste Changes During Treatment
Nausea, appetite loss, and taste changes during cancer treatment feed each other. How each type is treated, what helps at home, and when to call your team.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Neuropathy Continued After Treatment
Neuropathy that outlasts cancer treatment: how long recovery takes, what does and does not help, and when numbness is likely to be permanent.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Neuropathy During and After Cancer Treatment: Nerve Care
Chemotherapy can damage the nerves in the hands and feet. What tingling and numbness mean, why reporting it early matters, and how it is managed.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Neuropathy During Cancer Treatment
What numbness, tingling, burning pain, or balance changes can mean during cancer treatment and what to ask early.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Neuropathy During Chemotherapy: What to Ask
Chemotherapy can cause tingling, numbness, pain, or balance problems. Learn what to track and ask early.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Neutropenia & Low White Blood Cell Counts Guide
Neutropenia is a low count of the white blood cells that fight infection. Why fever during chemotherapy is an emergency and when to call your team.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Neutropenia During Chemotherapy
Neutropenia means low infection-fighting white blood cells during chemotherapy. What it means, why fever matters, and what to ask.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Neutropenic Fever During Cancer Treatment
What neutropenic fever can mean during cancer treatment, what to track, and how to prepare for urgent care-team guidance.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Overcoming Stigma Around Opioid Pain Medicine
Why fear of addiction leads to undertreated cancer pain, what tolerance and dependence actually mean, and how opioids are prescribed and monitored safely.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Pain Control in Advanced Cancer
A plain-language guide to controlling cancer pain: types and causes of pain, building a pain plan, taking pain medicine, and non-drug methods.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation After Cancer Treatment
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments and tissues that form a sling at the base of your pelvis.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Peripheral Neuropathy and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of peripheral neuropathy
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Port site symptoms that need an urgent call
Swelling or redness where a catheter enters the body is on NCI's list of infection signs during cancer treatment. Here is what to watch for and how quickly to act.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Preparing for Common Cancer Treatment Days at Home
Planning steps, questions, safety limits, and care-team support for preparing for common cancer treatment days at home.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Preventing and Managing Lymphedema
Lymphedema cannot be prevented, only made less likely. Steps NCI lists for protecting an at-risk arm or leg, and the swelling signs to report.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Protecting a bare scalp from the sun after hair loss
Hair shades the scalp, and chemotherapy can take that shade away. NCI guidance on covering and protecting the head, plus its general sun protection advice.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Protecting fragile nails during chemotherapy
Cancer treatment can leave nails cracked and cuticles swollen, and nail infections are one of the listed problems. NCI's prevention advice is short and practical.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Radiation Cystitis: What to Ask
Radiation Cystitis can affect cancer care. Learn symptoms to track, what to ask, and when to get urgent guidance.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Radiation Dermatitis & Skin Care Management
Radiation skin changes build over weeks and keep building after treatment ends. The timeline, what moist desquamation is, and when to call.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Radiation Dermatitis: Skin Care Questions
Skin care during radiation: what to wash with, products to avoid, deodorant, shaving, sun, clothing, and what to ask your radiation team.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Radiation Fibrosis & Tissue Care After Therapy
What radiation fibrosis is, where scar tissue forms months or years later, why it usually does not reverse, and what can realistically be done.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Radiation Proctitis: What to Ask
Radiation Proctitis can affect cancer care. Learn symptoms to track, what to ask, and when to get urgent guidance.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Radiation Skin Changes: What to Expect
Radiation can cause skin in the treated area to become dry, itchy, red, darker, peeling, sore, or moist. Learn what to ask.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Radiation skin reactions: telling mild from serious
Radiation can leave skin dry, red and peeling, or it can progress to wet, sore, infected areas. NCI describes both patterns and which one needs attention.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Radiation Therapy Side Effects
A plain-language guide to the side effects of radiation therapy, why they happen, how they depend on the part of the body treated
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Rash During Cancer Treatment
What rash can mean during cancer treatment, what details to track, and what to ask before using skin medicines.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Rash During Immunotherapy
Rash During Immunotherapy can affect cancer care. Learn symptoms to track, what to ask, and when to get urgent guidance.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Recognizing & Managing Cancer Emergencies
Identifying neutropenic fever, spinal cord compression, and tumor lysis syndrome.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Rehabilitation After a Brain Tumor
Rehabilitation after a brain tumor: which abilities are affected, who is on the rehab team, when therapy should start, and how to get a referral.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Ringing in your ears on chemotherapy: what cisplatin can do to hearing
Cisplatin is known to affect hearing. MedlinePlus explains the monitoring involved, what symptoms to report, and why some hearing loss may be permanent.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Saliva substitutes and dry mouth after head and neck radiation
NCI explains that salivary glands may only partly recover after radiation, and describes saliva substitutes, medicines that stimulate saliva, fluoride and daily habits that help.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Seizures During Cancer Care
Bystander first aid for a seizure, the exact NHS and CDC triggers for calling an ambulance, and what the team will want to know afterwards.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sepsis During Cancer Treatment
Fever during treatment is a phone call. Confusion, fast breathing or blotchy skin is an emergency. The two tiers, and the sources behind them.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Serious Bleeding and DIC During Cancer Care
Bleeding that will not stop is a 911 call. Black stool, blood in vomit and bad headaches are a phone call. DIC, and the blood tests that name it.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sexual Health & Fertility During Cancer Care
Managing hormonal shifts, intimacy changes, and fertility preservation options.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sexual Health & Intimacy During and After Cancer Treatment
Cancer treatment changes sex. Most people find this out on their own, in private, and assume they are the only one. They are not.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sexual Health and Cancer Treatment
A plain-language explanation of how cancer treatment can affect sexual health for women and men, and how care teams help people manage these changes
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sexual Health Changes During Cancer
Cancer and its treatment can change sexual health and intimacy. Many changes are temporary, some last longer, and care teams can help manage them.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sexual Health for Men With Cancer
How cancer treatment can affect men's sexual health, from erectile changes to lower sex drive, and the treatments and support that can help.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sexual Health for Women With Cancer
How cancer treatment can affect women's sexual health, from vaginal dryness to body-image changes, and the treatments and support that can help.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Shortness of Breath & Radiation Pneumonitis
Getting more short of breath after radiation to the chest is not something to save for your next routine appointment.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Side Effects From Steroids & Premedications
What dexamethasone and antihistamine premedications actually do to sleep, mood, blood sugar, and the stomach — and which effects need reporting.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Signs immunotherapy has affected the adrenal glands
Immunotherapy can inflame hormone glands. NCI lists the symptoms of adrenal gland inflammation, and MedlinePlus describes what adrenal insufficiency and adrenal crisis look like.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Skin, Nail, and Hair Changes During Chemotherapy
Dryness, itching, rash, sun sensitivity, darkening skin, and the nail changes chemotherapy causes — including ridges and lifting — and what to report.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sleep habits that help when steroids are keeping you awake
Corticosteroids are among the cancer drugs that disturb sleep. NCI lists practical habits for the bedroom, the evening and the daytime that can make nights easier.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sleep Problems & Insomnia During Cancer Treatment
Why sleep breaks down during cancer treatment — steroids, pain, worry, night sweats, napping — what the evidence says helps, and what to raise with your team.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sore mouth and throat during head and neck radiation
Radiation to the head, neck or chest can leave the mouth ulcerated and the throat swollen. NCI describes what happens and the mouth care that helps.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Speech & Swallowing Rehabilitation After Head/Neck Cancer
Head and neck cancer treatment can leave lasting trouble swallowing and speaking. Aspiration warning signs, feeding tubes, and who can help.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Spinal Cord Compression During Cancer Care
Back pain with new leg weakness, numbness or bladder changes is an emergency. The symptom cluster, who to ring first, and the 24-hour clock.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Spotting a central line infection at home
A central line goes straight into a large vein, so germs at the site can reach the bloodstream. MedlinePlus lists the specific signs that mean telling your provider straight away.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Steroid Insomnia, Agitation, and Mood Shifts
Insomnia, restlessness, and mood changes are listed side effects of dexamethasone and prednisone. What to expect and which symptoms need a call.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Steroids made you hungry all the time — what helps
Steroids given during cancer treatment increase appetite. Here is what NCI suggests for eating when hunger and cravings suddenly jump.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sun protection when your medicine makes skin sun-sensitive
FDA explains photosensitivity from medicines and lists the sun protection steps it recommends, including shade in the middle of the day, covering up, and broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sun sensitivity during chemotherapy and how to cover up
Chemotherapy can make skin burn more easily, an effect called photosensitivity. NCI gives clothing and sunscreen advice, and the FDA explains the two ways medicines can react with sunlight.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Sunscreen and the skin inside a radiation treatment area
NCI advises sunscreen and covering up to prevent sunburn during cancer treatment, and warns against putting heating pads, ice packs or bandages on a radiation treatment area. What to ask before applying anything to treated skin.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Superior Vena Cava Syndrome and Cancer
Patient and caregiver planning for superior vena cava syndrome and cancer: warning changes, questions, safety limits, and care-team instructions.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Swallowing therapy during radiation to the head and neck
NCI describes a speech therapist assessing swallowing and providing swallowing therapy during head and neck cancer care, with jaw exercises among treatments for jaw stiffness.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Swollen legs, ankles or hands during chemotherapy
Fluid can collect in the limbs during cancer treatment. NCI describes the causes, simple measures that help, and the specific swelling patterns that mean emergency care.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Targeted Therapy Side Effects to Watch For
Targeted therapy can cause diarrhea, liver problems, skin or nail changes, blood pressure changes, fatigue, and other effects.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Taste Changes During Cancer Treatment
What taste changes can mean during cancer treatment, practical self-care steps, what to track, and when to call the care team.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Testosterone Suppression (ADT) & Fatigue Management
Lowering testosterone on purpose works against the cancer. It also removes a hormone your body has used for decades, and you feel that everywhere.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
The main types of anti-sickness medicine used with chemotherapy
Anti-nausea drugs fall into several groups that work on different signals in the body. NCI's summary lists the classes used with chemotherapy and the patterns of sickness they target.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
The mouth rinse your team may ask you to make
NCI suggests rinsing your mouth through the day with warm water, baking soda and salt during cancer treatment, using the recipe your own nurse writes down for you.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Thrombocytopenia (Low Platelets) & Treatment Delays
Being told your platelets are too low to treat today is one of the more common reasons a cancer treatment gets postponed.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Thyroid Changes During Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy often causes a brief overactive thyroid phase then lasting hypothyroidism treated with levothyroxine, usually without stopping treatment.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Timing anti-nausea medicine around a chemo infusion
Anti-sickness medicine works best on a schedule set by your doctor rather than taken only when you already feel ill. Here is how the timing is thought about.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Tracking Cancer Pain Without Changing Medicines
What to record about cancer pain, what a 0 to 10 scale does and does not capture, and the warning signs that mean calling the team right away.
9 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Treatment Affected Intimacy
The physical side of sex after cancer: dryness, vaginal narrowing, dilators, erection changes, penile rehabilitation, low desire and what to ask for.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Trismus (Jaw Stiffness) After Head & Neck Radiation
It affects eating, dental care, speech, and how easily anyone can examine your mouth.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Tumor Lysis Syndrome: Patient Action Guide
Patient and caregiver planning for tumor lysis syndrome: patient action guide: warning changes, questions, safety limits, and care-team instructions.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Urinary Incontinence After Prostate Cancer Surgery
Leaking urine after prostate cancer surgery is expected and usually improves. The common patterns, pelvic floor training, and when to ask for more help.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Using a fentanyl pain patch safely
FDA labelling for fentanyl transdermal patches sets out how long a patch is worn, why heat is dangerous, how to dispose of used patches, and why they must be kept away from children.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Using Vaginal Dilators After Pelvic Radiation
A dilator is a smooth plastic or silicone tube, shaped a bit like a tampon, that you insert into the vagina to keep it open and stretchy.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Vaginal Atrophy & Intimacy After Cancer Treatment
Vaginal dryness and pain with sex are among the most common effects of cancer treatment and among the least discussed.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
What a low albumin level means during treatment
Albumin is a protein made by the liver. A low result on a blood panel can reflect nutrition, liver or kidney problems, or other illness — and it never stands alone as a diagnosis.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
What an Infusion Reaction Can Feel Like & How It's Managed
What an infusion reaction feels like, why it usually happens in the first minutes, how nurses treat it on the spot, and how it differs from a true allergy.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
What Symptoms Should I Call My Oncology Team About Today?
A clear, safety-first guide to knowing when to call your cancer care team, visit urgent care, or go to the emergency room during treatment.
8 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
What to Have Ready for an Urgent Oncology Call
Planning steps, questions, safety limits, and care-team support for what to have ready for an urgent oncology call.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
What you can and cannot put on your skin during radiation
NCI's radiation guide lists everyday products to clear with your doctor before using them on treated skin, from deodorant and powder to sunscreen and soap.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
When a Cancer Caregiver Should Call the Care Team
Planning steps, questions, safety limits, and care-team support for when a cancer caregiver should call the care team.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
When a vein turns hard and sore after repeated infusions
A vein that feels like a firm cord, with redness and tenderness along it, can follow medicines given into a vein. MedlinePlus calls this superficial thrombophlebitis.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
When Do Chemotherapy Side Effects Start? Day-by-Day Timeline
A day-by-day timeline of chemotherapy side effects — when nausea, fatigue, blood count dips (nadir), hair loss, and recovery typically occur.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
When Is a Cancer Treatment Side Effect an Emergency?
Which treatment side effects are emergencies — fever during chemotherapy, breathlessness, severe pain, and vomiting you cannot control.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
When Liver Enzymes Rise During Cancer Treatment
A rise in liver enzymes is usually found on a scheduled blood draw, not because anything felt wrong.
7 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
When low platelets lead to a transfusion
Chemotherapy can lower platelets, the cells that help blood clot. NHLBI says platelet transfusions are used for people bleeding heavily or at high risk of bleeding.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
When menopause-like symptoms start after chemotherapy
NCI explains how chemotherapy can affect the ovaries and lists the symptoms that follow, while not giving a fixed timeline for when they begin.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
White cell growth factor injections after chemotherapy
Filgrastim is given to lower the chance of infection when chemotherapy reduces infection-fighting white cells. MedlinePlus describes when the first dose is given and how long the course runs.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
White patches in your mouth during chemo: recognising thrush
Thrush is a yeast infection of the mouth that is more likely when the immune system is weakened by chemotherapy. MedlinePlus covers what it looks like and how it is treated.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Why a low-fiber diet is suggested during pelvic radiation
Radiation aimed at the pelvis can cause diarrhea by damaging healthy tissue in the digestive tract. NCI's diet advice during that time leans low in fiber, and it is temporary.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Why Hair Grows Back Differently After Chemotherapy
Why hair grows back curlier, finer, or a different color after chemotherapy, the regrowth timeline, and when thinning may persist.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Why hair often grows back different after chemotherapy
Many people find their hair returns curlier, straighter or a different colour after chemotherapy. The National Cancer Institute confirms this happens and says it may go back to how it was.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Why people suck ice chips during certain chemo infusions
Holding ice in the mouth during some chemotherapy infusions is a recognised technique for helping prevent mouth sores. It applies to particular drugs, not to chemotherapy in general.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Why Some Cancer Treatments Require Cardiac Monitoring
Why anthracyclines and trastuzumab call for LVEF checks, what echo and MUGA measure, and what happens if the number drops.
6 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Why spicy and crunchy foods are off the list when your mouth is sore
When treatment leaves your mouth sore, certain foods make it worse. Here is what NCI names, and what to try instead.
3 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Why the radiation team asks about what you put on your skin
Radiation centers ask patients to check which skin products to avoid before a session. Here is what NCI says about caring for skin in the treatment area.
4 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Why your eyes water constantly on chemotherapy
Some chemotherapy drugs can clog the tear ducts, which leads to watery eyes and blurry vision. Here is what NCI's patient guide says about it.
5 min read · Beginner
Side Effects
Wigs, scarves, or nothing at all: choosing during hair loss
NCI lists wigs, scarves, turbans and hats among the ways people cope with treatment-related hair loss, and notes some choose to cut or shave their hair first.
5 min read · Beginner
More help from around the site
Side-effect help doesn’t all live in one place. These guides from our nutrition, symptoms, and living-with-cancer sections pick up where the explainers above leave off.
Eating and drinking
When nausea, mouth sores, or a vanished appetite make food hard, these guides offer small, practical ideas — no pressure, no perfect diets.
- Eating When You Have NauseaBland foods, small sips, timing tricks — what may make queasy days a little easier.
- When You Can Only Eat a LittleGetting enough nourishment when your appetite has gone missing.
- Eating With a Sore Mouth or ThroatSoft, gentle foods and what to skip while your mouth heals.
- Eating Safely With a Low Immune SystemFood-safety habits that matter more when your white blood cells are low.
Side effect, or something more?
Not every new symptom is a side effect — and not every side effect is 'just' a side effect. When you're unsure, these can help you sort out what's worth a call.
- Symptoms, ExplainedPlain-language guides to common symptoms — what's usually harmless and what deserves a check.
- Symptom CheckerA gentle, educational walkthrough — not a diagnosis, but a place to start.
- Side Effects by TreatmentPick your treatment type to see what's commonly discussed, what to ask, and when to call.
The heavy days
Side effects aren't only physical. Worry, low mood, and exhaustion are real parts of treatment too — and there's help for those as well.
- Emotions and CancerThe feelings that come with cancer, and ways people cope — from NCI resources.
- Anxiety and UncertaintyLiving with not-knowing, and what may help when worry takes over.
- The Comfort RoomA quiet corner of the site for the days when reading feels like too much.
- SleepA calm space to help you wind down when rest won't come.
Wondering about a specific medicine?
Many side effects come from a particular drug. Our medicine guides explain what each one is, its common side effects, and the warning signs to report.
Turn reading into a conversation
Every explainer includes questions for your care team. These tools help you get ready for your next appointment.
Go straight to the source
More ways in
Browse all nutrition during treatment guides, look up a drug in cancer medicines, explained, bring your side-effect questions to the appointments hub, or — if you’re helping someone through this — start at the caregiving hub.