National Cancer Institute (U.S.) - Coping With Advanced Cancer: Support for People With Cancer

No two people are alike. Some chapters of this booklet may apply to you, while others may not. Or some may be more useful later on. As you read this booklet, choose the parts that are right for you. Share it with your family members and loved ones. They may find it helpful to read it with you. Keep in mind that this booklet is for you, an adult with advanced cancer, and the people close to you. For other information for a parent or loved one of a child or young person with cancer, see the NCI booklet, Young People With Cancer . Your friends and family members may also want to see the NCI booklet, When Someone You Love Has Advanced Cancer .

Above all else, try to remember that you are still in charge of your life. It may be hard to do this with all that you are going through. You may have trouble coping with your feelings from time to time. Or you may be grieving that your life has gone a different way than you had hoped. Its natural to feel negative at times. Youll have ups and downs. We hope this booklet will help you. Our goal is to help you stay in control as much as you can, and make the rest of your life fulfilling and satisfying. You can still have hope and joy in your life, even as you cope with what lies ahead.

People have different goals for care when dealing with advanced cancer. And your goals for care may be changing. Perhaps you had been hoping for a remission. Yet now you need to think more about controlling the spread or growth of the cancer. Your decisions about treatment will be very personal. You will want to seek the help of your loved ones and health care providers. But only you can decide what to do. Your desire to avoid future regrets should be measured against the positives and negatives of treatment.

Questions you may want to ask:

• Whats the best we can hope for by trying another treatment? What is the goal?
• Is this treatment plan meant to help side effects, slow the spread of cancer, or both?
• Is there a chance that a new treatment will be found while we try the old one?
• Whats the most likely result of trying this treatment?
• What are the possible side effects and other downsides of the treatment? How likely are they?
• Are the possible rewards bigger than the possible drawbacks?

It is important to ask your health care team what to expect in the future. Its also important to be clear with them about how much information you want to receive from them.