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Cancer patients are people who have had or have a tumour. Given this condition, cancer patients have a right to legal and economic safeguards.

What do we mean by “cancer patients”?

Cancer patients are people who have had or have a tumour. Due to this particular clinical condition, cancer patients need to be treated with a multidisciplinary approach, with a different treatment compared to that of people with other conditions.

The rights of cancer patients

People with cancer may be in a fragile physical and psychological condition; as such, treatment and care needs go beyond simple therapy. Cancer patients are protected legally and economically, both from a social and financial perspective: the aim is to guarantee decent standards of living to those who have had or have a tumour.

• If you have cancer, you should receive clear and comprehensible information regarding the overall situation of your condition, on the tests and exams you may have to do, on the treatment options and on their side effects. Your family has the right to receive social, psychological and care assistance;
• You also have the right to request a second opinion from doctors who do not work for the hospital you’re going to, thus giving you the right to request an updated and detailed medical record;
• Medications, medical examinations and tests for treating the tumour and for any potential complications arising from treatment will not be paid out of your own pocket, as you have the right to free NHS prescriptions;
• Based on what type of disability you may be diagnosed and certified with, cancer patients have the right to inability pension, invalidity allowance, attendance allowance, or child disability allowance.

These are just a few examples of the rights you have if you have a tumour. Please refer to your GP for further information.

The side effects of cancer treatments

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can lead to several side effects, which may arise based on your overall physical situation or based on the advancement stage of the tumour. Among these, there are:

• Gastrointestinal problems (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite...);
• Bone marrow disorders: the bone marrow may not be able to produce blood cells, thus originating conditions such as anaemia, thalassemia and leukopaenia;
• Generalised fatigue, hair loss, skin conditions;
• Peripheral neuropathy;
• Fertility and sexuality issues.