Breathing difficulties

You may find it hard or painful to breathe as a symptom of your cancer, or as a result of treatments you have received. 

Please click on the coloured links below for sources of information about the possible causes of breathlessness, and to advice on how to deal with this symptom.

Macmillan Cancer Support – breathlessness

Macmillan Cancer Support aims to improve the lives of people affected by cancer by providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support. Produces booklets on different types of cancer and on aspects of living with cancer. 

Also produces a booklet "Managing breathlessness" which contains a CD called “Relax and breathe”, designed to help people learn to manage their breathlessness.  The booklet / CD is available either direct from Macmillan Cancer Support or from the Cancer Information Centre.

Freephone helpline – 0808 808 00 00 

If you are a laryngectomy patient and you have breathing problems please see the link below as this may be useful

Head and Neck Cancer Speech and Language Therapy Service

Cancer Research UK – Breathing problems with cancer

The Cancer Research UK website has information on different types of cancer and living with cancer. 

Cancer Research UK freephone helpline: 0808 800 4040

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation website has a lot of useful information, including a fact sheet about breathlessness. Click on the link below to see the fact sheet.

Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation - breathlessness

If you require any further information please contact the Cancer Information Centre and we will try to help you. 

This page last reviewed 04/07/2024