How to find cancer information you can trust

Some people might want to know everything possible about their diagnosis, treatment and cancer. Others might prefer to take it step by step and only find out more when they feel up to it.

You should always be able to speak to your care team if there’s something that’s worrying you, or something you’re not sure about. You can ask your doctors or nurses – it’s your body, so you’ve got every right to know what’s going on.

You can find lots of great information online but it’s important you know where to look, and what you can trust. 

We’ve got lots of information on our website that you might find useful, but we understand you might want to look further for information about other topics. 

The internet isn’t the only place you can find information about cancer. Your care team will be able to give you printed information resources too – you can see all the information books Teenage Cancer Trust have created here. If there are any specific webpages you want to have printed, you can ask them to do that too.

Keep it local

Try and stick to information from UK-based organisations. While cancer diagnoses might be the same across the world, types of treatment and medical care can be very different.

We want to make sure you have access to as much trustworthy information as possible. This is why we work closely with other organisations to develop our information and to signpost to more information on other websites we trust. 

You can find lots of links to other charities and organisations that support young people with cancer on our Useful contacts page.

Use websites you trust 

A lot of information online is out of date or just wrong. You can always ask your doctors and nurses for recommendations. 

You can find a list of trusted organisations who provide brilliant information here.

It’s also a good idea to look for the PIF Tick logo. This means all information has been through a thorough process before being put online and has been checked by a range of experts. 

You can find out more about the PIF Tick and what it represents on their website. 

Use the internet as a starting point 

Think of the information you find online as a way to start conversations with your carer, doctors and nurses.

Ask questions about what you find online and discuss it with other people to see what they think. 

It might also be useful to make a note of useful websites you’ve found and show them to your care team on your phone in appointments to see what they think. 

Don’t believe everything 

While cancer treatment is getting better all the time, it’s still the case that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

When you find an article, blog or video that looks useful, remember to ask yourself who posted it and why. If you’re not sure whether it’s a reliable source of information or not, you can always ask a friend or family member to have a look too, or you can check with your care team.

Look for balance 

If you read one article, story or website that seems very negative or very positive about a particular treatment, check other websites to see if they offer a different perspective. 

A lot of people have strong opinions about cancer, but that doesn’t mean they’re always accurate and it’s good to get a balanced point of view.

Remember that everyone is different 

There are a lot of very powerful stories and blogs online written by people who have cancer now or have had cancer in the past. Reading them can be a great way to feel less alone and to find out what treatments are really like.

Lots of people also choose to share their experiences on social media platforms. If you don’t feel like reading, then watching a video of someone sharing their story can be a nice way to break this up. 

But it’s important to remember that everyone has a different experience of cancer. People are diagnosed at different stages. The same treatments work better for some people than others. 

Your age, general health and lots of other things can make a difference too. Remember, if something has happened to someone else, that doesn’t mean it’ll happen to you.