Even with the best treatment, a cure for cancer might not be possible. If cancer does not respond to treatment and continues to grow, doctors talk about advanced, terminal, or end-stage cancer. This is a difficult diagnosis. But there are steps you can take to prepare yourself and your family for your final days.

Grieve for what you are losing

If you are living with advanced cancer, it is normal to feel many different emotions. You may feel things you do not expect. Know that your feelings are completely normal.

Many people with cancer receive a large number of medical bills and health insurance claims because treatment often lasts weeks, months, or longer. Setting up a system for tracking bills and payments and filing financial documents can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Keep your system simple so it is easy to find paperwork when you need it. And, your system will work best when you organize individual bills and other paperwork on a timely basis as they come in.

Providing care to a loved one with cancer who does not live near you can be challenging and stressful. The following suggestions can help you work with and around many of the challenges of long-distance caregiving.

Get organized. The following tips can help you stay on top of your caregiving tasks:

• Collect and sort information about the medical, financial, and legal needs of the person with cancer. This will help you and other caregivers make informed decisions. Some people use a binder or file folder to keep track of everything.

Listen to the Cancer.Net Podcast: When the Doctor Says Cancer, adapted from this content.

Watch the Cancer.Net Video: When the Doctor Says Cancer, adapted from this content.

It is a situation people often fear: sitting in the doctor's office and hearing the word “cancer.” People diagnosed with cancer often say they were stunned when they heard the news and unable to process what was said afterward.

If you are over the age of 65 and have been diagnosed with cancer, you should know that you are not alone. In fact, most people who are diagnosed with cancer and most cancer survivors are older than 65. Because of this, most cancer care teams have experience treating people who are older. This means that they often know how aging can affect cancer and cancer treatment. In some places, there are also specialists who can provide additional help for older adults.

Before deciding to participate in a clinical trial, you will meet with the clinical trial's research team to learn about the study. You can ask the staff any questions you have. They should answer your questions in a way that helps you easily understand. This will help you make an informed decision about joining the clinical trial.