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The web Directory of Information Materials for People Affected by Cancer is regularly updated and currently has details of over 1,900 booklets, leaflets, books and audiovisual materials for people affected by cancer. Most have been published in the last five years but we have included some older ones that are still useful.
Hospice UK|Dying Matters
Guidance on how to raise the subject of dying with someone who has dementia.
Macmillan Cancer Support
This leaflet is about a Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA). An HNA identifies any concerns you may have when you are diagnosed with cancer. These may be physical, emotional, practical, financial and spiritual. The leaflet talks about what happens at an HNA and has information about making a care plan.
Macmillan Cancer Support
This booklet is for anyone who is going to have a donor stem cell transplant.There is also information for carers, family members and friends. The booklet explains what a donor stem cell transplant is, the different stages of treatment, and the possible side effects. It also has information about emotional, practical and financial issues.
Macmillan Cancer Support
This booklet is about having a stem cell transplant using your own cells. It is for anyone who is going to have this treatment and there is also information for carers, family members and friends. The booklet explains what an autologous stem cell transplant is, the different stages of treatment, and the possible side effects. It also has information about emotional, practical and financial issues.
Cancer Research UK
This leaflet helps patients who have been urgently referred with suspected cancer to prepare for their appointments and tests. Includes English-language version.
Cancer Research UK
This leaflet helps patients who have been urgently referred with suspected cancer to prepare for their appointments and tests.
Macmillan Cancer Support
This booklet is for you if you may die in prison from a serious illness. It explains what might happen, how you may feel and what support is there to help you. There is some information about what will happen after your death and the support available for any family members and friends.
Bowel Screening Wales
This leaflet explains what happens if the bowel screening test shows that blood has been found in your sample. It explains what a colonoscopy is, and how to prepare for it.
Bowel Screening Wales
This leaflet describes the benefits of the bowel screening test kit, what the kit looks for, and what happens if blood is found in your sample. It also has information on how to reduce your risk of bowel cancer and the symptoms to look out for.
Bowel Screening Wales
Instructions on how to use the bowel screening test kit.
The Brain Tumour Charity
This leaflet aims to help patients understand why they may have less energy. It explains what cancer-related fatigue is and describes the symptoms and possible causes. It has suggestions for coping with fatigue and answers some commonly asked questions and also offers some practical suggestions for coping with the emotional and physical effects of fatigue.
Macmillan Cancer Support
This booklet is for people who may be finding it difficult to maintain their weight during and after cancer treatment. It explains the different food types and has suggestions on how to get more energy and protein in your diet. It also includes some meal ideas and some shopping list suggestions. These may help you when preparing meals.
Bowel Screening Wales
This leaflet describes the benefits of the bowel screening test kit, what the kit looks for, and what happens if blood is found in your sample. It also has information on how to reduce your risk of bowel cancer and the symptoms to look out for.
Canongate Books Ltd
In Radical Acts of Love, Janie Brown, oncology nurse of thirty years and counsellor of cancer patients with terminal diagnoses, recounts twenty conversations she has had with the dying; including those personally close to her. Each conversation uncovers a different perspective and experience of death, while at the same time exploring its universalities. As well as offering an extremely sensitive and wise insight into our final moments, Brown offers practical ways to facilitate the shift from feeling helpless about death to feeling hopeful; from fear to acceptance; from feeling disconnected and alone, to becoming part of the wider, collective story of our mortality. (Publisher)
Ken Harwood
The author was diagnosed in 2019 with a low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma and this is his day-by-day account of his chemotherapy journey over a six month period.
Little, Brown Book Group
As a specialist in palliative medicine, Dr Rachel Clarke chooses to inhabit a place many people would find too tragic to contemplate. Every day she tries to bring care and comfort to those reaching the end of their lives and to help make dying more bearable. Rachel's training was put to the test in 2017 when her beloved GP father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She learned that nothing - even the best palliative care - can sugar-coat the pain of losing someone you love. And yet, she argues, in a hospice there is more of what matters in life - more love, more strength, more kindness, more joy, more tenderness, more grace, more compassion - than you could ever imagine. For if there is a difference between people who know they are dying and the rest of us, it is simply this: that the terminally ill know their time is running out, while we live as though we have all the time in the world. Dear Life is a book about the vital importance of human connection, by the doctor we would all want by our sides at a time of crisis. It is a love letter - to a father, to a profession, to life itself. (Publisher)
Orchid – Fighting Male Cancer|Tackle Prostate Cancer
The Manversation campaign aims to challenge outdated stereotypes, raise awareness of the symptoms of advanced prostate cancer and encourage men to speak up about potential symptoms as soon as they experience them. This leaflet describes how women can support men with advanced prostate cancer and how they can get supoport for themselves.
SKCIN: The Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity
Leaflet with information about skin cancer and how to avoid it, including: sunburn; sunbeds; protecting young children; choosing the right sunscreen; applying sunscreen; at risk groups; types of skin cancer.
Orchid – Fighting Male Cancer|Tackle Prostate Cancer
The Manversation campaign aims to challenge outdated stereotypes, raise awareness of the symptoms of advanced prostate cancer and encourage men to speak up about potential symptoms as soon as they experience them. This leaflet gives an overview of prostate cancer and has tips for how adult sons and daughters can support their fathers.
Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group
Hair loss is a common side effect of treatment for childhood cancer, but its impact can be significant. This animation tells the story of Anna, Jack and Laura who all lose their hair while having treatment for cancer and helps young children to understand what might happen.
Bowel Cancer UK
This leaflet describes bowel screening in Wales: what bowel cancer screening is; why it is important; what the test involves; who can take part; and what happens after the test.
Pelvic Radiation Disease Association
Information about pelvic radiation disease and the work of the Pelvic Radiation Disease Association.
Bowel Cancer UK
This leaflet describes bowel screening in Wales: what bowel cancer screening is; why it is important; what the test involves; who can take part; and what happens after the test.
Bowel Cancer UK
This leaflet describes bowel screening in England: what bowel cancer screening is; why it is important; what the test involves; who can take part; and what happens after the test.
Blood Cancer UK
Pocket-sized fold-out guide to the symptoms of blood cancer and suggested questions for a GP appointment.
Prostate Cancer UK
Information for men with prostate cancer who are planning a holiday or travel abroad. It has tips to help prepare for the trip, including guidance on arranging travel insurance.
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
This booklet explains what small cell lung cancer is, and addresses common questions and concerns.
Advanced Cancers Coalition
This short guide has been designed to support conversations in advanced cancer. It explains why good communication matters and has tips to support productive conversations. It can be used on an ongoing basis to support you in either living with or knowing someone with advanced cancer. [The ACC is a coalition of UK cancer patient groups with a shared interest in delivering improvements in care and treatments for people with advanced cancer. The activity of the ACC is funded by Roche Products Limited.]
Prostate Cancer UK
This factsheet provides an overview of localised prostate cancer: what it is; what tests are used to diagnose it; grading and staging; treatment options; and choosing treatment.
Pancreatic Cancer UK
Easy read information using pictures and simple words to explain surgery to remove pancreatic cancer.
Ovacome
This factsheet describes how stage 4 ovarian cancer is treated.
Ovacome
This factsheet describes how stage 3 ovarian cancer is treated.
Ovacome
This factsheet describes how stage 2 ovarian cancer is treated.
Orchid – Fighting Male Cancer
This leaflet describes the use of radiotherapy to treat cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body.
Macmillan Cancer Support
Audio CD of the booklet, with information to help people who have been told their cancer has spread or come back, and for their relatives and friends. It covers issues such as deciding about treatment, sources of emotional help, coping with day-to-day life, and putting affairs in order. Includes details of useful organisations and other resources such as books and websites.
Prostate Cancer UK
Factsheet for men who have been diagnosed with advanced (metastatic) prostate cancer. It explains what advanced prostate cancer is, and describes how it is diagnosed, the grading and staging, and the treatment options (hormone therapy).
Orchid – Fighting Male Cancer
This leaflet describes the use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy to treat cancer that has spread beyond the penis to other parts of the body.
Prostate Cancer UK
This factsheet provides an overview of locally advanced prostate cancer: what it is; what tests are used to diagnose it; grading and staging; treatment options; and choosing treatment.
Penny Brohn UK
General advice to help you eat well during chemotherapy and radiotherapy; the challenges can be similar but where the information is specific to chemotherapy or radiotherapy, this will be stated. There’s no one way of eating that’s right for everyone so the general advice in this booklet will need to be adapted to you and your situation. It’s not intended to replace any advice given to you by a member of your healthcare team.
Macmillan Cancer Support
Audio CD of the booklet, which describes the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, stages, and treatment of breast cancer including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. It also discusses issues such as fertility, hormone replacement therapy, and feelings. Includes details of useful organisations and other resources such as books and websites.
Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group
Getting back to school is vital for children with cancer. School helps them to feel ‘normal’ and reduces the isolation and loneliness which many children with cancer face. Teachers have a really important role to play in encouraging the child’s integration back into a school routine. But cancer is a scary word for many and it is completely normal for teachers and others working at the school to feel upset – not just for the awful situation facing the pupil and their family, but also for the impact on the rest of the class and school community. This guide aims to lessen some of the worries you may have by giving simple practical information and advice on a variety of issues faced by the child and their family, and some ideas on how to help them within a school setting.
Pancreatic Cancer UK
This booklet describes the different types of pain that pancreatic cancer can cause. It has information on how to describe pain to your medical team, and ways of keeping it under control, including painkillers.
Breast Cancer Now
This leaflet explains how making some simple lifestyle changes could help you reduce your risk of breast cancer.
Pancreatic Cancer UK
This factsheet is for people with pancreatic cancer who are having radiotherapy. It explains the different types of radiotherapy, how it is given and the side effects.
Breast Cancer Care
Zoledronic acid is a drug that’s given to reduce the risk of breast cancer spreading to the bones and other parts of the body. This booklet explains what it is, who might be offered it and the side effects it can cause.
Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group
Being told that your brother or sister has cancer can be overwhelming and you may be full of questions. It is a difficult time for everyone in your family as life is turned upside down almost overnight. You will likely feel many different emotions as you try and come to terms with what your sibling’s diagnosis means for you and your family. You may feel worried or upset at this sudden change that you didn’t want or ask for, and you may desperately want everything to go back to normal as it was before their diagnosis. Life can seem very unfair. These feelings are completely normal and you are not alone. This guide covers how your brother or sister’s diagnosis might affect you, your feelings and emotions, and how it is important to take care of yourself during this difficult time. It explains more about cancer, and what you can expect over the coming weeks and months.
Penny Brohn UK
This evidence-based information sheet aims to provide clearly sourced and reliable information to help you make informed choices about the range of creative arts activities on offer to support people with cancer.
Prostate Cancer UK
This booklet is for men who are having hormone therapy. It describes the different types of hormone therapy, how they work and what the treatment involves. It also includes information about the possible side-effects and how to manage them.
Breast Cancer Care
This booklet is about the bisphosphonate sodium clodronate given to reduce the risk of breast cancer spreading to the bones and other parts of the body. IIt explains what it is, who might be offered it and the side effects it can cause.
Penny Brohn UK
This evidence-based information sheet aims to provide clearly sourced and reliable information to help you make informed choices about the range of relaxation techniques on offer to support people with cancer.