Downloadable resources

Understanding cancer

Our Understanding cancer booklets and fact sheets are written for people affected by cancer, including people who have been diagnosed with cancer, as well as their carers, family and friends.

Each booklet or fact sheet addresses a different aspect of cancer. We provide practical information to help you understand what you are going through, including answers to common questions, tips, checklists and where to go for support.

Click on one of the following categories to access our publications online or to download booklets and fact sheets.

For further information and advice, call Cancer Council 13 11 20 – our specially trained staff can answer your questions and offer emotional and practical support.

Cancer types

• Anal cancer (fact sheet) PDF
• Bladder PDF
• Bowel PDF
• Bone - primary (fact sheet) PDF
• Bone – secondary (fact sheet) PDF
• Brain PDF
• Breast PDF
• Unknown primary PDF
• Cervical PDF
• Head and Neck PDF
• Kidney PDF
• Liver PDF
• Lung PDF
• Melanoma PDF
• Mesothelioma PDF
• Ovarian PDF
• Pancreatic PDF
• Prostate PDF
• Skin PDF
• Stomach and oesophegeal PDF
• Testicular PDF
• Thyroid PDF
• Uterine PDF
• Vaginal PDF
• Vulvar PDF

Cancer treatment and side effects

• Changes in thinking and memory (fact sheet) PDF
• Chemotherapy PDF
• Clinical trials and research PDF
• Complementary therapies PDF
• Hair loss (fact sheet) PDF
• Peripheral neuropathy (fact sheet) PDF
• Palliative care PDF
• Radiation therapy (radiotherapy) PDF
• Surgery PDF
• Taste and smell changes (fact sheet) PDF
• Targeted therapy (fact sheet) PDF
• Mouth health (fact sheet) PDF
• Immunotherapy (fact sheet) PDF
• Fatigue and cancer (fact sheet) PDF

Living with cancer

• Cancer and your finances PDF
• Cancer care and your rights PDF
• Cancer in the school community PDF
• Cancer support groups PDF
• Cancer, work and you PDF
• Caring for someone with cancer PDF
• Living with advanced cancer PDF
• Emotions and cancer PDF
• Exercise for people living with cancer PDF
• Fertility and cancer PDF
• Understanding cancer pain PDF
• Understanding rare and less common cancers PDF
• Understanding secondary liver cancer PDF
• Talking to kids about cancer PDF

After cancer treatment

• Arm and shoulder exercises after surgery Poster
• Breast prostheses and reconstructions PDF
• Facing end of life PDF
• Living well after cancer PDF
• Nutrition and cancer PDF
• On the road to recovery
  • Greek PDF | Greek English PDF
  • Cantonese PDF | Cantonese English PDF
  • Mandarin PDF | Mandarin English PDF
  • Arabic bilingual PDF
  • Italian bilingual PDF
  • Vietnamese bilingual PDF
  • Hindi bilingual PDF
  • Tagalog bilingual PDF
• Sexuality, intimacy and cancer PDF
• Understanding grief PDF
• Understanding lymphoedema (fact sheet) PDF