If you are a cancer patient, telling your friends, family and coworkers that you have cancer, talking about treatment and its challenges, and asking for help can be difficult, but research suggests that having a good support system during treatment can be extremely helpful and even improve cancer outcomes.

We asked some of Roswell Park’s doctors who specialize in cancers that affect women to share some tips for preventing or treating cancer. Here’s what they offered.

We all know what it’s like to get hit by the flu. The muscle aches and fever make us want to stay in bed for a few days until we recuperate. However, for those who are fighting cancer, the flu can lead to far more serious complications.

It was 2005, and 47-year-old Rick Crowley had a lump growing in his neck. The first biopsy indicated that it was benign, but his doctors in Olean, New York, were not convinced. A good thing, too: The second biopsy found cancer.

I tried to ignore the pain and the feeling of being “off.” But one day, after struggling through a few minutes of yet another bad run, I stopped in mid-stride, pulled out my phone, and called my doctor.

Your immune system can detect and destroy bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites or unhealthy cells such as cancer cells. So why do you still get sick?

All families have their traditions. In ours, we tend to have big families, with numerous siblings – and a lot of cancer. My father was diagnosed with cancer when he was 44 years old.

Many cancer patients who are in treatment wonder what will happen if their treatment stops working. Here Ellis Levine, MD, Chief of Breast Medicine at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses how different factors can affect the options available.