Health · England
Understanding cancer and getting support
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There are many types of cancer.
This guide is for adults in England.
What cancer means
Cancer happens when some cells in the body grow out of control.
Some cancers can be cured.
Other cancers can be treated to control them or ease symptoms.
Get changes checked
Tell your GP about a new lump or another change that worries you.
It may have another cause, but it needs checking.
Do not wait for a screening invitation.
Understand your diagnosis
Ask what type of cancer you have.
Ask what the results mean and what happens next.
You can ask people to explain things again.
Ask for adjustments
You can ask for pictures, Easy Read information or more time.
Tell staff how you show pain or ask for a pause.
You can ask for a supporter you choose.
Your choices matter
Ask about treatment choices, benefits and side effects.
Tell the team what matters to you.
Staff should help you take part in decisions.
Treatment and comfort
Treatment may involve an operation, radiotherapy or medicines.
Ask what your treatment is meant to do.
Tell the team about pain, sickness or other problems.
Urgent help during treatment
Keep your cancer team’s urgent phone number with you.
Call them immediately if you feel shivery, have a fever or suddenly feel unwell.
Do this even if your temperature is normal.
If you do not know how to contact them, call 111.
For a life-threatening emergency, call 999.
Everyday support
You can ask for help with travel, food, money and difficult feelings.
Macmillan has Easy Read information and practical support.
Choose whom you want involved.
Keep your plan clear
Ask when your next appointment will be.
Ask which changes to report and who to contact.
Your care should include the things that matter to you.
What you can do next
Ask for an explanation and a care plan you can use.
Keep your treatment team’s urgent contact details.
Find Macmillan’s Easy Read cancer information Web pageEasy ReadFree bookletsThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- Macmillan: Easy Read cancer information Web pageEasy ReadFree booklets
Illustrated guides about diagnosis, treatment, feelings and practical support. Free copies can be ordered.
- Macmillan: deciding about treatment in Easy Read Web pageEasy Read
A booklet to help you understand choices and ask for support.
- Macmillan: equal healthcare in Easy Read Web pageEasy ReadFree booklet
Information about getting accessible cancer care when you have a learning disability.
- NHS: cancer Web page
Symptoms, types and common treatments. New symptoms need medical assessment.
- Macmillan: infection during cancer treatment Web page
Signs requiring immediate contact with the cancer team. Follow your own treatment instructions.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Understanding cancer and getting support
Understand a cancer diagnosis, treatment choices, accessible care, urgent treatment problems and support with everyday life.
Adults · England · General cancer information and support
What cancer means and when to ask about changes
Cancer happens when some cells grow in an uncontrolled way. There are many types, affecting different parts of the body. Some cancers can be cured; others can be controlled or treated to relieve symptoms. Tell a GP about a new lump, unusual bleeding or another change that is not normal for you. These symptoms can have other causes, but they need checking. Do not wait for a screening invitation or assume a recent screening result explains new symptoms.
Understanding your diagnosis
Ask the cancer doctor or specialist nurse what type of cancer it is, where it is and what tests have shown. Ask them to explain unfamiliar words such as stage and what they mean for your care. Find out what remains uncertain and what happens next. You can request another conversation and information in manageable parts. Another person’s cancer experience or survival statistics cannot predict your own outcome exactly.
Make care accessible
Tell the team how you communicate and what helps you understand information, show pain or ask for a pause. Ask about Easy Read material, pictures, longer appointments, a quieter waiting area and a supporter you choose. Ask whether the hospital learning disability liaison team can help coordinate adjustments. Record agreed support so new staff can follow it. Staff should talk directly to you and make time for your questions.
Your treatment choices and consent
Ask about likely benefits, side effects, alternatives and what could happen without each treatment. Explain what matters to you. A learning disability or not using speech does not by itself mean you cannot decide. You should have support to understand and communicate your choice. If an adult cannot make this particular decision despite support, the team must follow the appropriate Mental Capacity Act process and consider their wishes and best interests. Ask for advocacy if you need help being heard.
What treatment and supportive care may involve
The plan depends on the cancer and your circumstances. Options may include surgery, radiotherapy or medicines such as chemotherapy. Ask whether the aim is to cure the cancer, control it or ease symptoms, and how progress will be checked. Report pain, tiredness, sickness, eating difficulties or other side effects. Help with symptoms and emotional wellbeing can sit alongside cancer treatment. Palliative care focuses on comfort and quality of life; it is not only care in the last days of life.
Get help promptly if you become unwell during treatment
Some treatments, including chemotherapy, can reduce your ability to fight infection. Keep the team’s 24-hour number and written instructions with you. Contact the team immediately if you have a fever, feel shivery, develop infection symptoms or suddenly feel unwell, even with a normal temperature. Follow the specific temperature limits and other advice in your plan. Do not wait for the next appointment. If you do not know how to contact the team, call NHS 111 and say you are having cancer treatment. For a life-threatening emergency, call 999.
Support with everyday life
Discuss practical needs such as travel, personal care, food, medicines, work and finances with the cancer nurse or support team. Ask for a dietitian if eating or weight changes are a concern. You can ask for help with worry, relationships, intimacy and the impact on people close to you. Macmillan provides information and practical support, including Easy Read booklets co-created with people with learning disabilities. Choose whom you want involved and what information can be shared.
Follow-up and planning ahead
Before treatment ends or changes, ask who will arrange follow-up, which symptoms to report and who remains your main contact. Side effects can continue after treatment, so tell the team if problems persist or appear later. Discuss the activities and goals you want support with. If cancer cannot be cured, ask about options to control it, manage symptoms and plan care around your wishes. Keep your care plan and urgent contact details accessible to you and chosen supporters.
Words you could use
“Please explain my cancer and treatment choices in a way I understand. What support can you arrange, and who should I contact urgently if I become unwell?”
More useful links
- Macmillan: Easy Read cancer information Web pageEasy ReadFree booklets
Illustrated guides about diagnosis, treatment, feelings and practical support. Free copies can be ordered.
- Macmillan: deciding about treatment in Easy Read Web pageEasy Read
A booklet to help you understand choices and ask for support.
- Macmillan: equal healthcare in Easy Read Web pageEasy ReadFree booklet
Information about getting accessible cancer care when you have a learning disability.
- NHS: cancer Web page
Symptoms, types and common treatments. New symptoms need medical assessment.
- Macmillan: infection during cancer treatment Web page
Signs requiring immediate contact with the cancer team. Follow your own treatment instructions.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 9 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: cancer Web page
Definition, possible symptoms, assessment and individual treatment options.
- NHS: screening Web page
Screening is for apparently healthy people and results have limitations.
- NHS Essex: symptoms and screening Web page
Symptoms need assessment without waiting for screening eligibility or invitations.
- Macmillan: understanding treatment options Web page
Treatment aims, individual circumstances and making informed choices.
- Macmillan: understanding prognosis Web page
Cure, control and uncertainty about individual outcomes.
- Macmillan: support to understand information Web page
Communication formats, reasonable adjustments and more time for discussion.
- NICE CG138: patient experience Web page
Individual circumstances, accessible participation and clear contacts for care and emergencies.
- NHS: consent to treatment Web pageFuller information
Informed voluntary decisions, treatment information and decision support.
- GOV.UK: checking mental capacity Web page
Capacity for a particular decision at the relevant time and communicating in different ways.
- NHS: chemotherapy Web page
Side effects, urgent infection advice and NHS 111 if the team cannot be contacted through known details.
- Macmillan: infection Web page
Contacting the hospital immediately for infection symptoms or sudden illness even with normal temperature.
- Macmillan: palliative care and cancer Web page
Symptom relief, emotional support and care beyond the last days of life.
- Macmillan: Easy Read information Web pageEasy ReadFree booklets
Co-created resources about diagnosis, decisions, treatment and living with cancer.
- NHS: when to call 999 Web page
Emergency help for life-threatening illness.