You can read the forum without registering, but you will need to register to write messages.
Click on the pink 'register' button at the top of the Cancer Chat homepage and complete the short registration form.
Other users on the forum will only be able to see your username. Your other details (email address, etc.) will remain private and are covered by our privacy policy.
After you register, you should receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to start using the forum. If you haven't received this email, try:
If neither of these methods work, please let us know using the 'contact us' link on every page of the forum.
Once you have registered, you can login using the pink 'login' button at the top of the page. You will need to enter the username and password that you chose when registering.
1. Browse Cancer Chat and have a look at the discussions other users are having in the eight different sub-community areas. To do this:
2. If you see a discussion that interests you, why not post a response? You will need to register and log in to do this.
3. If you would like to talk about something that is not already the subject of a discussion on Cancer Chat, you can start a new discussion. You will need to register and log in to do this.
These buttons are located on the blue log-in bar towards the top of the page.
These tabs are located in the light blue bar near the top of most pages. They provide another way to navigate around the forum. These tabs appear on the forum's main pages and topic pages, but not on pages where there are forum posts.
You can choose 'set as default tab' so that when you next come to that particular page, it will immediately display the content in that tab. If you were to choose 'overview' on the Cancer Chat homepage, the next time you arrived at the Cancer Chat homepage, you would see the content of the 'overview' tab. To change your default tab, choose one of the other two tabs and click 'select as default tab' again.
You may see this message if you explore some areas marked 'blogs' or 'documents'. These are features that allow users to compose and share online diaries and documents within Cancer Chat.
At the moment we haven't "turned on" these features on Cancer Chat, but if you would like us to do so, please let us know. We are constantly reviewing and improving the forum, and your feedback is important.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a free subscription service. This service notifies you whenever there are content changes or additions to a topic you're interested in.
If you were to subscribe to the 'Risk and Prevention' RSS feed, the system would send you the information and discussions every time they were updated.
To view RSS feeds you will need an RSS reader (also known as an "aggregator"). These are free applications that pick up updates to the content you've subscribed to, and display them for you. You can use your web browser as an aggregator (recent versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari support this).
There are also reader applications that are specifically designed to collect and aggregate RSS feeds. To subscribe to the RSS feed you want, click its link.
To view your profile from any page, log in and then click the 'your area' button at the top of the page. 'Profile' is the first option in this menu; click on this and you will be able to view and edit your profile.
Use the 'your area' button at the top of the page. You can also use this button to view and edit your profile, password, preferences and email notifications.
No, you are currently unable to send private messages to other users.
Adding a photo to your profile is quick and simple. You'll just need to follow these steps:
Then, to choose one of Cancer Chat's avatars:
Or, to upload your own photo:
You can change your profile photo or avatar at any time by following the same steps. However, to upload another custom avatar you must first delete the other custom avatar you have already uploaded.
You can upload one photo to use as your profile photo or "avatar". See "How do I upload an avatar or profile photo" to find out how. You are currently unable to upload videos. If you upload a photo or post links to a photo sharing website you must have the permission of the person who took the photos and the people in the photos. You must not post links to photos of children.
Go to your internet browser's 'view' menu (the menu bar usually at the top of your computer screen) and click on 'text size'. From here you can choose how big you want the text on your screen to appear - click on 'largest' to increase it to its maximum size.
Cancer Chat is your place to share information and experiences about cancer. Just pick a topic area that relates to the post you would like to write. Please keep in the mind the forum's Terms and Conditions when writing a post.
Currently the eight topics (e.g. 'risk and prevention') are fixed, and you cannot add a new one. If you feel your discussion does not fit into one of the existing topics, we suggest you post it in 'other'. We are always looking at how we can improve the forum, so do please use the 'contact us' button if you think we need to add a new topic.
Click the 'reply' button within the post you'd like to respond to. Your response will then be added to the end of the discussion. You need to be logged in to do this.
Click the 'reply' button in whichever post you'd like respond to. Your response will then appear at the bottom of the discussion. If you click on the blue arrow underneath the title on your post, it will take you up the discussion, so that the post you were responding to is positioned at the top of the page.
It is a good idea to try and name your discussions accurately and relevantly. This helps everyone on the forum to find the discussions they are interested in. It also makes it easier for the search tool to bring up relevant posts. For example, a descriptive subject title like 'coping with the side effects of Tamoxifen for breast cancer' would be more useful than a more general title like 'breast cancer'.
Once you have logged in, click on the 'new' tab at the top of the page. The first option in this menu is 'discussion': click on this and you will be taken to the 'new discussion' page. Then choose a topic and click 'create new discussion'.
Please make sure you use a relevant title for your discussion as this will aid other users to find your thread and contribute to the discussion. Once you have written your thread, please click the blue 'post' button at the bottom of the screen.
Type your key words (words that describe the content you're looking for - for example, 'bone', 'chemotherapy' 'recovery')in the search bar at the top right of the page and click 'go'. If any discussions contain these key words, the results display with the key words highlighted. If you think any of these results are relevant then click on the title and it will take you to the appropriate discussion.
If you click on 'more options' you can perform a more advanced search, and 'search tips' gives you some hints on how best to use the search function.
If your search doesn't bring up any results, try entering less specific search criteria. If you still can't find any appropriate posts, it's likely that there aren't any on Cancer Chat. So why not start one?
Click the question mark next to the box where you would enter your password. Then enter your username, and the system will send an email to the email address you used when you registered. Finally, follow the instructions in the email.
If you still have problems logging in please let us know, using the 'contact us' button.
The majority of your profile information can be seen by anyone using the internet. Only your name and e-mail address will not be visible.
Click on the 'your area' button at the top of the page, followed by 'preferences'. You need to be logged-in to change your email notifications.
Terms and conditions are legal requirements that you must agree to before posting on Cancer Chat. There is a link to our terms and conditions on most pages.
One of our moderators' roles is to make sure that people are following our key terms and conditions, which you agree to follow when you register. You can help the moderators by contacting them if you think that someone is mis-using the site, by using the 'report this post' button on the post that you think breaks our terms and conditions.
As Cancer Chat is a new venture for Cancer Research UK, our moderators will be regularly reviewing the forum. It would be great to hear what you think: you can send our moderators a message using the 'contact us' button.
Our moderators will occasionally post messages on the site and can be identified by the Cancer Research UK icon next to their name.
Your post will be removed if the moderators find that it breaks our terms and conditions. Your post could be temporarily removed if a number of users report your post as breaking the terms and conditions. Our moderators will review your post and, if they agree that it breaks our terms and conditions, your message will be permanently deleted. However, if your post has not broken the terms and conditions, your post will re-appear on the site within 48 hours.
Please use the 'contact us'' button.
You can confirm the accuracy of the information by:
CancerHelp UK provides over 6,000 pages of cancer information and is written by specialist cancer nurses. You can also call our cancer information nurses who offer a confidential telephone and email helpline service for anyone affected by cancer in the UK (Freephone 0808 800 4040).
If you feel that someone has posted seriously misleading information, please do check our terms and conditions and contact a moderator.
You may have questions about cancer that other Cancer Chat users can't help you with. Cancer Research UK has a variety of information resources that should help answer your questions. You can find links to these in the 'useful link ' box on the right hand side of most Cancer Chat pages:
There are plenty of websites, forums and helplines specifically for young people where you can talk, share experiences and get support online.
Teen Info on Cancer (TIC) is a site dedicated to providing information for people between 12 and 24 who have been affected by cancer. It has information, practical advice, and support on all aspects of cancer, and there is also an online community of young people affected by cancer. You can make friends on the forum, write a blog and share your experiences with others. RipRap is a website aimed to help young people cope when one of their parents has cancer. It has information, support, advice and forums where you can share your stories with other young people. CancerHelp UK also has links to other organisations that offer information and support for children and young people with cancer.
Cancer Chat is a UK based site, so it is likely to contain information about the UK's healthcare system and people may use terminology or mention treatments that are specific to the UK. The American Cancer Society has a large online forum which you may find more helpful.
It is worth searching CancerHelp UK's list of cancers, as the website covers over 95% of cancers diagnosed in the UK. In addition to this, the Rarer Cancers Forum offers advice and information to individuals with rare and less common cancers or to their families and friends.
The American Cancer Society has a forum with a discussion board entitled Rare Cancers. The experiences people talk about are likely to refer to American healthcare, but you may still find it helpful to talk to someone who has the same type of cancer as you, even if they are part of a different healthcare system.