Supportive care for blood cancer

Supportive care helps manage the symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatment. Supportive care does not treat cancer itself, but many people have it alongside blood cancer treatment. Sometimes you might have supportive care on its own.

Supportive care can help with physical symptoms and side effects such as:

• pain
• infections
• feeling sick or being sick
• diarrhoea or constipation
• poor appetite
• fatigue
• bruising and bleeding
• breathing problems.

Supportive care also aims to help you with the emotional impact of having blood cancer. This support can include:

• arranging for you and your family to see a counsellor or have other talking therapy
• connecting you with support groups
• helping you feel comfortable with changes to your body image
• supporting you to get any practical and financial help you need.

Your supportive care might be managed by your blood cancer treatment team, including your clinical nurse specialist (CNS) who will be an important contact and source of support.

You might also see a specialist supportive care team at the hospital or in your local community. The supportive care team will work closely with your treatment team.

At some hospitals, your supportive care may be delivered by a palliative care team.

The terms “supportive care” and “palliative care” often mean the same thing. Both focus on reducing symptoms and improving the quality of life of people with serious illness and the people close to them.

Many people think that palliative care is only for people at the end of life or who have incurable cancer. However, end of life care is only one part of palliative care. You can have palliative or supportive care at any stage of illness, including when you are first diagnosed. It does not mean that the blood cancer cannot be treated or cured.

There are many different types of treatment your team may use to help you with symptoms and side effects. Some of the treatments you might have include:

• blood transfusions
• intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy
• steroids
• medicines to prevent and treat infections
• growth factors
• drugs to strengthen your bones
• anti-sickness medicines
• pain relief
• treatment for mouth and gut problems
• food supplements
• laxatives
• help with strength and mobility.

Find out more about these treatments below.

A blood transfusion is where you are given blood that has been donated by someone else. You might need blood transfusions to increase your number of healthy blood cells if your body isn’t making enough. This can help relieve symptoms and side effects.

The most common types of blood transfusion are:

• red blood cell transfusions – these can treat anaemia, which causes symptoms like fatigue and breathlessness
• platelet transfusions – these can help prevent bleeding if the level of platelets in your body is too low.

Read more about blood transfusions.

Immunoglobulins, also known as antibodies, are specialised proteins in your blood that help your body to fight infections.

Immunoglobulin therapy gives you immunoglobulins taken from donated blood. You might have this therapy to help prevent infections if your own levels of immunoglobulins are too low.

There are two ways immunoglobulin therapy can be given:

• Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy (IVIg) is given directly into your vein through a drip. You have this treatment in hospital.
• Subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy (SCIg) is injected into the fatty tissue under the skin, usually into your tummy or thighs. You can often do the injections yourself at home.

You might have drugs called steroids as part of your blood cancer treatment, or to help with side effects. Steroids can be used to:

• treat or control blood cancer
• boost the effect of chemotherapy, making it more effective
• reduce side effects of chemotherapy and other treatments
• boost your appetite
• suppress your immune system if you’re having a stem cell transplant
• prevent allergic reactions.

You might have steroids as tablets or liquid that you swallow, or a nurse may give them to you as an injection under your skin or into a vein.

Macmillan Cancer Support has more information about steroids including possible side effects.

Blood cancer and its treatment can weaken your immune system, putting you at risk of infection. You may need medicines to help prevent or treat infections. These treatments include:

• antibiotics
• antifungals
• antivirals.

Read more about preventing infection and treatment for infections.

Growth factors are drugs that encourage your body to make more blood cells. Your doctor might recommend you have growth factors if blood cancer or its treatment reduces the number of healthy blood cells in your body. Sometimes you might have them as part of your treatment plan for blood cancer.

There are two types of growth factor:

• granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) can increase white blood cell numbers
• erythropoietin (EPO) can increase red blood cell numbers.

You usually have growth factors as injections under the skin on your tummy or thigh.

You can read more about G-CSF and EPO, including possible side effects, on Macmillan Cancer Support’s website.

Bisphosphonates are drugs that can strengthen bones and prevent or treat bone damage. Your doctor might give you bisphosphonates if you have a type of blood cancer called myeloma. Bone problems are a common complication of myeloma.

Some people with lymphoma may also be prescribed bisphosphonates to prevent bone weakness caused by chemotherapy and steroid treatment.

You might have bisphosphonates as tablets or capsules, or directly into a vein through a drip.

You can read more information about different types of bisphosphonates on the Macmillan Cancer Support website.

Nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting (being sick) are common side effects of blood cancer treatment. There are lots of different drugs that can help to prevent nausea and vomiting. You might hear these called anti-emetics.

We have more information about sickness and vomiting treatment.

Sometimes blood cancer or its treatment can cause pain. If you have pain anywhere in your body, even if it seems mild, tell your hospital team. There are treatments to help manage pain, including:

• painkillers – there are many different types of painkillers your doctor can prescribe
• bone strengthening medicines – these can help with bone pain
• nerve pain blockers – to treat pain caused by nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy)
• radiotherapy – this can help with some types of bone pain caused by myeloma. It may also be used to shrink swollen lymph nodes to help control pain in people with some types of lymphoma.
• surgery – this can help if pain is caused by problems with your spine or bone fractures.

Some types of blood cancer treatment can damage the cells in your mouth and gut, causing a condition called mucositis. This can cause you to have a dry, sore or painful mouth and problems with your digestive system.

There are several treatments to help with the symptoms of mucositis, including:

• rinses and sprays to moisten and clean your mouth
• painkillers, in different forms and strengths
• treatment to help with digestive problems such as indigestion, diarrhoea or constipation.

Read more about mucositis treatment.

Sometimes blood cancer or its treatment can reduce your appetite and make you lose weight. If you’re having any problems with eating or drinking, or find you’re losing weight, let your hospital team know. They can arrange for you to see a dietitian for support.

A dietitian or another member of your hospital team might prescribe you food supplements to help you get the energy and nutrients you need.

Food supplements (also called dietary or nutritional supplements) can include:

• high calorie milks and juices
• soups
• powders you can make into drinks with water or milk, or mix into food
• ready-made puddings.

If you’re not able to eat or drink enough to maintain a healthy weight, your doctor or dietitian might recommend you have nutrition through a tube. This could be through a tube into your stomach or bowel, or into a vein. Having nutrition through a tube is usually temporary, until you’re able to eat or drink well again.

It's common to have constipation when you're having blood cancer treatment. It can be caused by treatment, reduced activity, changes to your diet or not drinking enough fluids.

If you're finding it difficult to poo, or you're pooing less often than usual, let your doctor or nurse know. They might prescribe you laxatives: medicines that help you poo more easily. Your hospital team will recommend the type that's most suitable for you and explain how to take it.

Blood cancer and its treatment might affect your physical strength and mobility. If needed, your nurse or doctor can arrange for you to see:

• a physiotherapist – to help you maintain or build up your mobility and strength
• an occupational therapist – who can advise on practical solutions and provide household aids and equipment.

First published October 2026. Next full review due October 2029. We may make factual updates to the information between reviews.

Thank you to clinical nurse specialist Tina Brooks and specialist registrar Dr Izzy Wood for checking the clinical accuracy of this information.