Health Library

The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.

Cancer Complications

  • Learn what you can do to help with throat pain and eating challenges caused by cancer treatment.

  • Oral complications are common in cancer patients, especially those with head and neck cancer. Complications are new medical problems that occur during or after a disease, procedure, or treatment and that make recovery harder. The complications may be side effects of the disease or treatment, or they may have other...

  • The side effects of chemotherapy, sometimes called chemo, depend mainly on the medicines you receive. As with other types of treatment, side effects vary from person to person. In general, chemotherapy affects rapidly growing and dividing cells. These include: Blood cells. Blood cells fight infection, cause the blood...

  • Cancer, cancer treatment, or diagnostic tests may cause you pain. Pain is one of the most common symptoms in cancer patients. Pain can be caused by cancer, cancer treatment, or a combination of factors. Tumors, surgery, intravenous chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, supportive care therapies such as...

  • Discusses cancer pain management. Discusses causes such as tumor pressing on bones or nerves. Covers types of cancer pain. Discusses treatments with medicines, surgery, or radiation.

  • Discusses use of radiation therapy to kill cancer cells or control cancer pain. Covers brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy, two ways radiation is delivered. Discusses risks and side effects.

  • Discusses how cancer pain can almost always be relieved if you work with your doctor to create a treatment plan that is right for you. Covers using a pain control diary and medication record. Includes managing side effects and complementary medicine.

  • Heat and cold treatments can help with mild to moderate pain from cancer. But talk to your doctor before trying either of these during chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Heat may relieve sore muscles. Use a heating pad, a gel pack, or a hot-water bottle. Or you can take a hot bath or shower. Apply heat for no longer...

  • Learn how you can feel less tired when you're getting treatment for cancer.

  • Fatigue is the most common side effect of cancer treatment. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and biologic therapy can cause fatigue in cancer patients. Fatigue is also a common symptom of some types of cancer. Patients describe fatigue as feeling tired, weak, worn-out, heavy, slow, or that they...

  • Fatigue is a sense of tiredness that doesn't seem to go away, even with rest or sleep. It often happens along with other symptoms, such as pain or poor sleep. You may feel fatigued during cancer treatments, right after treatments, or even for months after treatment. Even as your cancer treatments are working and you...

  • Get tips to prepare for and manage hair loss from chemotherapy.

  • Hair loss can be emotionally distressing. Not all cancer treatments cause hair loss, and some people have only mild thinning that is noticeable only to them. Your doctor will be able to tell you whether hair loss is an expected side effect of your treatment. Hair loss from chemotherapy Chemotherapy can cause hair...

  • Chemo brain is a problem with thinking and memory that can happen during and especially after chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Thinking and memory problems are called cognitive problems. Chemo brain can make it hard for you to think, concentrate,...

  • Learn ways to manage nausea and loss of appetite from cancer treatments.

  • Nausea and vomiting are serious side effects of cancer therapy. Nausea and vomiting are side effects of cancer therapy and affect most patients who have chemotherapy. Radiation therapy to the brain, gastrointestinal tract, or liver also cause nausea and vomiting. Nausea is an unpleasant feeling in the back of the throat...

  • Home treatment may be all that is needed to treat mild nausea caused by cancer or the side effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. If you are having chemotherapy, your doctor can give you medicines to prevent and treat nausea and vomiting. Be sure to tell your doctor if you continue to have problems after your...

  • Discusses controlling and preventing nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy. Looks at antinausea drugs including Zofran and Ativan. Also discusses complementary therapy, acupuncture, and nutrition.

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