Oncologist-approved cancer information from the American Society of Clinical Oncology

Managing Side Effects

Cancer and cancer treatment can cause many side effects; some are easily controlled and others require specialized care.

Much of the information in this section is adapted from ASCO's Optimizing Cancer Care: The Importance of Symptom Management, a curriculum that teaches doctors about understanding and treating the side effects of cancer and its treatments.

Cancer.Net En Español: Información sobre cómo controlar los posibles efectos secundarios del cáncer y del tratamiento contra el cáncer.

Anemia
Anxiety - ASCO curriculum
Appetite Loss
Bleeding and Clotting Problems
Blocked Intestine or Gastrointestinal Obstruction - ASCO curriculum
Cognitive Problems
Constipation
Depression - ASCO curriculum
Diarrhea - ASCO curriculum
Difficulty Chewing
Difficulty Swallowing or Dysphagia
Dry Mouth or Xerostomia
Edema or Fluid Retention
Fatigue - ASCO curriculum
Fluid Around the Lungs or Malignant Pleural Effusion - ASCO curriculum
Fluid in the Abdomen or Ascites - ASCO curriculum
Fluid in the Arms or Legs or Lymphedema - ASCO curriculum
Hair Loss or Alopecia
Hand-Foot Syndrome or Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia
Headaches
Hormone Deprivation Symptoms: Men
Hypercalcemia
Infection
Menopausal Symptoms: Women
Mental Confusion or Delirium - ASCO curriculum
Mouth Sores or Mucositis - ASCO curriculum
Nausea and Vomiting
Nervous System Side Effects
Neutropenia
Pain - ASCO curriculum
Sexual Dysfunction - ASCO curriculum
Shortness of Breath or Dyspnea - ASCO curriculum
Skin Conditions
Skin Reactions to Targeted Therapies
Sleeping Problems or Insomnia - ASCO curriculum
Sleeping Problems: Hypersomnia or Somnolence Syndrome or Nightmares
Superior Vena Cava Syndrome
Taste Changes
Thrombocytopenia
Weight Gain
Weight Loss - ASCO curriculum


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