- English
- Esta página
- Página inicial
- Arabic (اللغة العربية)
- Chinese (简体中文)
- French (Français)
- Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisyen)
- Hindi (जानकारी)
- Korean (한국어)
- Polish (język polski)
- Portuguese (Português)
- Russian (Русский)
- Spanish (Español)
- Tagalog (Tagalog)
- Ukrainian (Українська)
- Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
- All Languages
Español
PDFs by language
Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides support for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
Chat live online
Select the Live Chat button at the bottom of the page
At our National Cancer Information Center trained Cancer Information Specialists can answer questions 24 hours a day, every day of the year to empower you with accurate, up-to-date information to help you make educated health decisions. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with valuable services and resources.
Or ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
- Referrals to patient-related programs or resources
- Donations, website, or event-related assistance
- Tobacco-related topics
- Volunteer opportunities
- Cancer Information
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
-
- Understanding Your Options and Making Treatment Decisions
- How Treatment Is Planned and Scheduled
- When Treatment Should Start
- Cancer During Pregnancy
- Questions to Ask Your Doctor When You Have Cancer
- If Cancer Treatments Stop Working
- Getting Cancer Treatment at Home
- Intravenous (IV) Lines, Catheters, and Ports Used in Cancer Treatment
- Tubes, Catheters, and Drains Used in Cancer Treatment and Care
- Coping with Cancer After a Natural Disaster
- Personal Health Manager
-
-
- How Immunotherapy Is Used to Treat Cancer
- Monoclonal Antibodies and Their Side Effects
- CAR T-cell Therapy and Its Side Effects
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Their Side Effects
- Cancer Vaccines and Their Side Effects
- Cytokines and Their Side Effects
- Immunomodulators and Their Side Effects
- Immunotherapy Safety
- Hormone Therapy
- Precision or Personalized Medicine
- Off-label Drug Use
- Tumor-agnostic Drugs
- Hyperthermia to Treat Cancer
- How Lasers Are Used to Treat Cancer
-
-
- Facts About Cancer Pain
- Acute, Chronic, and Breakthrough Pain
- How Pain Medicines Are Given
- Opioids for Cancer Pain
- Non-opioids and Other Drugs Used to Treat Cancer Pain
- Other Medical Treatments for Cancer Pain
- Non-medical Treatments for Pain
- Developing a Pain Control Plan
- Managing Cancer Pain at Home
- Leg Cramps
- Post-mastectomy Pain Syndrome
- Balance Problems and Falls
- Prostheses
- Shortness of Breath
- More Information on Cancer Drugs
- How to Interpret News About New Cancer Treatments
- Cancer Treatment Videos
Informed Consent
Patients, their caregivers, and health care providers are partners in health care decisions. When you seek medical care, you usually get recommendations about needed treatment. Most people follow these recommendations, but some choose not to follow them. You do have the right to either accept or refuse a treatment. If you are an adult and you’re able to make your own decisions, you are the only person who can choose whether to get treatment and which treatment to get. This is done through a process called informed consent.
All medical care requires consent (agreement) by the patient (or someone who is authorized to consent for the patient) before care is given. This includes treatments for illnesses such as cancer. In some cases, you approve or agree with the doctor’s plan by simply getting a prescription filled, signing a form that allows blood to be drawn for lab tests, or saying yes to seeing a specialist. This is called simple consent, and is OK for treatments that carry little risk for you. Many times, though, the more careful process of informed consent is needed.