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.

Understanding cancer types

• Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma PDF
• Anal cancer (fact sheet) PDF
• Appendix Cancer PDF
• Bladder PDF
• Bowel PDF
• Bone - primary (fact sheet) PDF
• Bone – secondary (fact sheet) PDF
• Brain PDF
• Breast PDF
• Cervical PDF
• Gallbladder cancer PDF
• Head and Neck PDF
• Kidney PDF
• Liver PDF
• Lung PDF
• Melanoma PDF
• Mesothelioma PDF
• Mouth cancer PDF
• Myeloma PDF
• Neuroendocrine tumours PDF
• Non-melanoma skin cancer PDF
• Ocular (eye) melanoma PDF
• Ovarian PDF
• Pancreatic PDF
• Penile cancer PDF
• Prostate PDF
• Pseudomyxoma peritonei PDF
• Rare cancers PDF
• Skin PDF
• Small bowel/intestine cancer PDF
• Soft tissues sarcoma PDF
• Stomach and oesophegeal PDF
• Testicular PDF
• Throat cancer PDF
• Thyroid PDF
• Unknown primary PDF
• Upper tract urotherial cancer (UTUC) PDF
• Uterine PDF
• Vaginal PDF
• Vulvar PDF

For more information, please visit our page about different cancer types.

Cancer treatment and side effects

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

For more information, please visit our cancer treatment page and side effects of cancer treatment page.

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
• Emotions and cancer PDF
• Exercise for people living with cancer PDF
• Fertility and cancer PDF
• Living with advanced cancer PDF
• Nutrition and cancer PDF
• Sexuality, intimacy and cancer PDF
• Talking to kids about cancer PDF
• Understanding cancer pain PDF
• Understanding rare and less common cancers PDF
• Understanding secondary liver cancer PDF

For more information, please visit our page about living with cancer.

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

For more information, please visit our page about what happens after cancer treatment.