Endometrial cancer treatment

Hi SueR123,

My name is Amy and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line. I’m pleased to see you are getting support from our other members of the online community.

It’s also great to hear you have recovered well from surgery and feeling physically stronger already. It sounds like this is important for you, and I appreciate you want to remain as physically active as possible.

For many people, one of the main side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is fatigue. This can make keeping active difficult at times during treatment. But many are able to make adjustments to suit how they feel at different points within treatment. You can read more about the general chemotherapy and radiotherapy side effects.

Walking and cycling shouldn’t be a problem to continue during treatment (when you feel able), but we would recommend avoiding swimming. Treatment increases your risk of getting an infection, and the hot moist environment at a swimming pool can make it a perfect breeding ground for infections.

There is no clear guidance regarding driving during treatment. It depends how physically and mentally able you are, and this should be considered every time you plan to drive. As mentioned above, treatment can cause fatigue which could cloud your judgement and reaction times. Also, some chemotherapies contain alcohol. I would encourage you to speak to your clinical team about driving during your treatment. We have more information about transport and parking that you may find useful.

We would always recommend speaking to your cancer team before taking any additional supplements. Even seemingly harmless over the counter supplements can interact and change the way chemotherapy works. We have more information about complimentary therapies here. You may also find Penny Brohn useful. They focus on living well with cancer.

Preparing questions can help you get the most out of your appointments, especially if you have questions about whether the proposed treatment is right for you. You can let them know you have done your own research and ask them why they feel this is the right option for you.

We often find we can help more by exploring these questions over the phone. If this is something you think would help, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch via our support line on 0808 808 0000. We are available 7 days a week, 8am-8pm.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes, 

Amy C, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref: AC/LA