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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.
Cancer Research UK
This leaflet highlights the early signs and symptoms of cancer. It explains what to look out for and why it is important to get any symptoms checked out.
Breast Cancer Now
This leaflet uses illustrations to show women how to check their breasts and the changes to look for.
Cancer Research UK
This leaflet for women highlights the early signs and symptoms of cancer. It explains what to look out for and why it is important to get any symptoms checked out.
Cancer Research UK
This leaflet for men highlights the early signs and symptoms of cancer. It explains what to look out for and why it is important to get any symptoms checked out.
Macmillan Cancer Support
This z-card gives the signs and symptoms of the main cancers for men and women and advice on cancer prevention for anyone worried about their cancer risk.
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.
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.
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 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.
Independently published
Cancer. It's a word associated with an unrivalled sense of dread, but also one that unites us in a variety of painful and unexpected ways. I, like many others, did my best to remain ignorant of the unpleasant truths surrounding this illness until at just the age of 19 I was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. This compiled journal is a record of my experiences as part of a group that can often be underrepresented in the public's approach to cancer. Follow me from the beginning to the end of this at times dire journey, where I do my best to learn what I can to share with the world about how we can better fight this illness on the psychological plain. If you or a loved one are in a similar situation, or perhaps you're looking to simply satisfy morbid curiosity, then partake in a unique account on one young man's experience with one of humanity's greatest killers. (Author)
Macmillan Cancer Support|Diabetes UK
This booklet is for anyone who has cancer and also has diabetes. You may also want to read it if you have been told your cancer treatment may increase your risk of developing diabetes. It explains how some tests and cancer treatments can affect your diabetes and make it difficult to control your blood sugar. It also has some tips to help you cope with the side effects of cancer treatment if you have diabetes.
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Challenging a number of myths about living long term with or after cancer, this book offers new insights by delving into areas that are not usually spoken about. Written from a dual perspective- that of a psychologist who had breast cancer and who copes with the long-term effects of treatment - the book contests the assumption that the afflicted person will simply 'get better' or 'move through' to a better situation. Emotional and physical side-effects can worsen over time and people living beyond or with cancer often endure a mismatch between expectations and reality, because they have been told that life would be easier than it actually is. This can leave both those suffering longer term and those close to them confused and unprepared. Including testimonies with people who have had a cancer diagnosis and people in the medical profession, the book signposts ways that professionals may help and offers prompts for friends and relatives to have useful and open conversations with the person affected. It gives voice to many people who feel that their suffering is disputed and diminished by the prevailing narrative around recovery. Galgut includes discussion on relationships, work, trauma, fear of recurrence and the role of therapy. Giving an unflinchingly honest perspective, Living with the Long-Term Effects of Cancer sheds light on these struggles, in the belief that bringing this conversation to the forefront is key to improving life for those who are affected by cancer and who suffer longer term from its effects. (Pub;lisher)
Macmillan Cancer Support
This booklet is about getting benefits and other financial help if you are affected by cancer in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. It is for anyone living with cancer and their family, friends and carers. It explains the types of financial help you could get and how to claim this support. It also tells you who to contact for further help, including Macmillan’s welfare rights advisers.
Macmillan Cancer Support
This booklet is about travelling abroad when you have cancer. There is also information for family, friends and carers. The booklet talks about the benefits of travel and how you can prepare for a trip abroad. It also gives tips on finding travel insurance and taking care while you are away. Includes details of useful organisations.
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)
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
BUPA
This booklet explains what cancer is and explores some common worries and feelings that children may have - reassuring them that however they react, it’s ok.
BUPA
This booklet looks at some of the side-effects of different types of cancer treatments. It also offers ideas for small ways children may like to help out at home.
BUPA
This booklet explains types of treatment and some of the health professionals who are helping people with cancer to get better.
Christie Hospital NHS Trust
Some illnesses or treatments may make swallowing difficult. This booklet has ideas on how to prepare soft or liquidised foods and how to make food more nourishing by enriching it with dairy produce, fats, sugars and fortified milk. Includes meal suggestions.
Christie Hospital NHS Trust
Although designed primarily for people having treatment at the Christie Hospital, this booklet is relevant to anyone with cancer. It describes the emotional support, palliative care, and financial help available. It has a list of national support groups and also support groups in the northwest.
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
This booklet explains what small cell lung cancer is, and addresses common questions and concerns.
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.
Christie Hospital NHS Trust
Eating may be a problem for people with cancer or other illnesses, particularly when undergoing treatment such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy. This booklet has advice on how to eat well when trying to cope with loss of appetite, changes in taste, dry mouth, difficulties swallowing, feeling full, nausea, diarrhoea, and constipation. It has tips on how to make food as nourishing as possible and ideas for snacks and drinks.
Christie Hospital NHS Trust
Some people may be advised to follow a low-fibre diet during or after treatment for cancer. This booklet gives ideas of suitable foods and advice for improving the nutritional value of meals; this may be helpful for people who have a poor appetite or who have lost weight.
Macmillan Cancer Support
This audio CD aims to help people learn to manage breathlessness. Track 1: Coping with shortness of breath; Track 2: Introduction and preparation for Relax and Breathe; Track 3: Relaxation exercise 1; Track 4: Relaxation exercise 2.
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
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.
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).
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.
Pelvic Radiation Disease Association
Information about pelvic radiation disease and the work of the Pelvic Radiation Disease Association.
Prostate Cancer UK
This fact sheet is for men who want to know more about active surveillance, which is a way of monitoring localised (early) prostate cancer rather than treating it straight away.
Prostate Cancer UK
This booklet is aimed at anyone who wants to know more about the prostate gland. It describes what the prostate gland is, the changes to look out for, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis and prostate cancer (what it is, the symptoms, the risk factors and what will happen at the doctors). A summary of this information is also available as a Z-card 'Know your prostate. A quick guide.'
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.
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
This booklet was written with the help of lung cancer experts, people affected by lung cancer, and others who support people with lung cancer to help you make the most of your health and wellbeing.
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.
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.
PCaSO Prostate Cancer Support Network
This leaflet describes the PSA test and what it involves, and the advantages and disadvantages of having the test.
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.
Colostomy UK
Information on travelling with a colostomy.
Colostomy UK
This leaflet describes the different types of stoma and the surgical techniques involved in their reversal. It also considers the advantages and possible problems associated with a reversal and suggests a simple checklist to ensure you make the appropriate decision for you.
Brainstrust
This leaflet looks at some of the myths around proton beam therapy: protons can treat any cancer; proton beam therapy is more effective than conventional radiotherapy; protons can cure cancer that other treatments can’t; having proton beam therapy through a private provider is better than through the NHS; decisions to be treated with proton beam therapy are based on money; other countries use proton beam therapy in most cases; most people should be treated with proton beam therapy.
Colostomy Association
This leaflet explains what a parastomal hernia is, the causes, the complications and problems it can cause and the treatment options. It has practical hints and tips for managing a parastomal hernia and for reducing the risk. Includes the personal experiences of four ostomates.
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
If you or someone you care for has lung cancer and surgery is a possible treatment, then it’s almost certain that you will have a lot of questions. We have produced this booklet in partnership with lung cancer experts and people affected by lung cancer to help you make positive, informed choices about your care and treatment. It discusses the types of surgery, what happens before, during and after surgery, and returning home.
Colostomy UK
This leaflet explains why rectal discharge might occur following a colostomy and describes some of the management techniques and coping mechanisms that might help.
Pelvic Radiation Disease Association
Credit-card leaflet, with general information about the symptoms of pelvic radiation disease.
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