Advice on Coronavirus for People with Cancer

As part of the Cancer52 alliance, Trekstock has joined with other members of One Cancer Voice, a coalition of leading cancer charities, to share a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Coronavirus (COVID-19) and cancer. 

This document has been updated on 18th March 2020 following the Government's latest briefing.

The Government is advising that people with cancer should be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures. They are:

1. Avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough;

2. Avoid non-essential use of public transport, varying your travel times to avoid rush hour, when possible;

3. Work from home, where possible. Your employer should support you to do this. Please refer to employer guidance for more information;

4. Avoid large gatherings, and gatherings in smaller public spaces such as pubs, cinemas, restaurants, theatres, bars, clubs

5. Avoid gatherings with friends and family. Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media.

6. Use telephone or online services to contact your GP or other essential services.

The detailed advice can be found here.

Some people with cancer are more at risk of becoming seriously ill if they contract the COVID-19 infection:

• People having chemotherapy, or who have received chemotherapy in the last 3 months

• People having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer

• People having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors

• People having intensive (radical) radiotherapy for lung cancer

• People who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs

• People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment

If you are in this category, next week the NHS in England will directly contact you with advice the more stringent measures you should take in order to keep yourself and others safe. For now, you should rigorously follow the social distancing advice in full.

These FAQs address the concerns of those people living with cancer, people living beyond cancer, and their friends and family. 

Read the full document here: Advice on Coronavirus for People with Cancer

You may also like to read:

• the NHS information on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• the government's response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)