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Helping People with Cancer Stay Healthy

What to know

If you are providing care for someone with cancer, we offer some helpful tips below.

Going to the doctor

If you take the person with cancer to the doctor, you can do some very important tasks:

  • Before the visit, write down questions and information you want to share with the doctor, like new symptoms or possible side effects.
  • Bring a list of medicines the patient is taking.
  • Write down what the doctor says.
  • Make sure you both understand what to do next.

You can help the person with cancer get follow-up care—checkups and tests to find early signs of new or the same cancer. After each visit to the doctor, make sure you understand what the patient needs to do next.

Preventing infections

Cancer patients treated with chemotherapy are more likely to get an infection. That's because chemotherapy can weaken the immune system.

To help make sure the person with cancer doesn't get an infection:

  • Stay clean and wash your hands often.
  • Get a flu shot every year, and encourage the patient to get one, too.
  • Get the COVID-19 vaccine and any booster doses to stay up-to-date.
  • Practice good health habits to help stop germs from spreading.
  • If you notice any cuts or scrapes on the patient's skin, help clean and bandage them.

Call a doctor right away if you notice that the patient has any signs of an infection, especially a fever.

Making choices to stay healthy

Photo of an elderly man and woman walking outdoors
It’s important to encourage cancer patients to stay as active as possible.

You can also encourage the person with cancer to make healthy choices like:

  • Staying away from tobacco.
  • Limiting the amount of alcohol he or she drinks.
  • Protecting his or her skin from overexposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun and tanning beds.
  • Eating lots of fruits and vegetables.
  • Keeping a healthy weight.
  • Being physically active.

How to support your quitter‎

Someone who feels supported is more likely to quit smoking for good. That's why friends, family members, and significant others can play a big part in helping a person become smokefree.
Support tips

Coping with emotions

People with cancer may feel stressed and overwhelmed. It's normal for them to feel anxious, afraid, angry, or depressed. Cancer treatments also can cause them to have trouble concentrating or remembering things. These feelings and problems can make it hard for them to work or do normal daily activities.

If you're caring for someone with cancer, you have an important role in helping him or her cope mentally and emotionally.

  • Be sensitive to the person's feelings and encourage him or her to talk about them with you and other family members and friends.
  • If the person is worried about money, see our list of resources that may be able to help.
  • Encourage the person to join a support group.
  • Ask the doctor for a referral to mental health and social support services.
  • Help the person stay as active as possible. Physical activity has been linked to lower risk of depression, as well as lower rates of recurrence of certain kinds of cancer, among survivors.

More information

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Division of Cancer Prevention and Control