Español
PDFs by language
Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
Chat live online
Select the Live Chat button at the bottom of the page
Call us at 1-800-227-2345
Available any time of day or night
Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
The following terms and conditions (these “Terms of Use”) are entered into between You (“User”) and the American Cancer Society, Inc. (“ACS”, “we”, “us”, “our”). These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of cancer.org, as well as all associated websites that are linked to these Terms of Use by us, including any content, functionality, and services offered on or through such sites (collectively, the “Website”). By using the Website, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by these Terms of Use and our Privacy Statement. If you do not agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, you may not access or use the Website.
The links below go straight to more detailed information on that topic.
ACS currently provides users access to an extensive amount of resources, including, but not limited to, public forums, health and medical content, online tools, calendaring, email, to-do lists, bookmarks, other personalization features, book/publication offerings, and various communication tools (the “Service”). ACS assumes no responsibility or liability for the timeliness, deletion, mis-delivery or failure to store any user communications or personalization data or settings. All such risks shall be borne by you.
ACS reserves the right to review, improve, amend, or change the Website or the Service at our discretion and without notice. ACS will not be liable if, for any reason, all or any part of the Website is unavailable at any time or for any period.
To access some of the resources the Website offers, User may be asked to provide certain registration details and information. Those who register are responsible for the security and confidentiality of their own user ID, password, and other related information. You acknowledge that your account is personal to you and agree not to provide any other person with access to the Website using your information. You agree to notify us of any unauthorized access to the Website or related breach of security.
The Website and its entire contents, features, and functionality (including, but not limited to, text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, and audio clips, as well as the design, selection, and arrangement thereof) are owned by the American Cancer Society, Inc., and may not be copied, reproduced, transmitted, displayed, performed, distributed, sublicensed, altered, stored for subsequent use, or otherwise used in whole or in part in any manner without ACS’ prior written consent, except that the user may make such temporary copies in a single computer’s RAM and hard drive cache as are necessary to browse the website. The contents of the Website are further protected under United States and international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws.
The Terms of Use permit User to use the Website for personal and non-commercial activity only. A user may also make a single copy of a reasonable amount of the content displayed on any page, so long as it is not used for further reproduction, publication, or distribution. Any provided desktop, mobile, or other application for download on the Website may be downloaded a single time solely for your own personal and non-commercial use. Any appropriate use of content available from the Website must not remove any trademarks, copyright, or any other notice contained in such content.
If you print, copy, modify, download, or otherwise use or provide any other person with access to any part of the Website in breach of the Terms of Use, your right to use the Website will end immediately and you must, at our discretion, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have reproduced. No right, title, or interest in or to the Website or any content on the Website is transferred to you, and all rights not expressly granted are reserved by ACS. Any use of the Website not expressly permitted by these Terms of Use is a breach of said Terms of Use and may violate copyright, trademark, or other such laws.
If you wish to make any use of material on the Website in a form other than what is set out in this section, please consult our Content Usage Policy.
The ACS permits and encourages hyperlinks and text links to material on the Website provided User does so in a way that is fair, legal, and does not damage or take advantage of the reputation of the ACS. The Website may provide certain social media features that enable you to link from your own site to certain resources on the Website, send e-mails or other communications with certain content found on the Website, or allow limited portions of information to be displayed on your own or on certain third-party websites. Any linking must conform with certain practices, including, but not limited to:
ACS reserves, in its sole discretion, the right to revoke its consent for linked material at any time and without notice.
ACS is not responsible for the information or materials contained on a host site to which the Website is linked. Linking to the Website is intended to be for convenience of reference only and is not intended to be used as an endorsement by ACS of either the organization or individual hosting the website, nor as a warranty of any type regarding the hosting website or its contents.
User understands that all information, data, text, photographs, graphics, messages, or other materials (“Content”) present on the Website and publicly viewable is the sole responsibility of the person from which such content originated. ACS does not bear any risk or liabilities for such Content that you personally upload, post, e-mail, transmit, or otherwise affiliate with the Service. Content must, in its entirety, comply with all applicable federal, state, local, and international laws and regulations. You agree that any Content submitted through the Service or on the Website does not:
As part of the Service, the Website may also provide links to officially monitored and curated social media channels that also display ACS Content. User’s use of these linked ACS social media channels is also subject to these Terms of Use, as well as the Terms of Use of the social platform from which you access this Content.
ACS social media channels, including but not limited to, the Facebook pages for the American Cancer Society, American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, American Cancer Society Relay For Life, Hope Lodge, and Coaches vs. Cancer; the Twitter accounts @ACSNews, @AmericanCancer, @ACS_Research, @RelayForLife, @acsglobal, and @CoachesvsCancer; ACS’ Instagram account, ACS’ YouTube channel, ACS’ LinkedIn Page, and ACS’ mobile app are social media locations for community members to connect to and learn about the American Cancer Society through information, press releases, and pictures and video concerning ACS initiatives and programs. Through these social media accounts, ACS hopes to be able to spread this information in a convenient way and foster open and respectful dialogues on cancer-related issues and topics.
ACS reserves all rights relating to the company’s social media channels, including, but not limited to:
ACS does not warrant that the information on these social media channels is complete, reliable, useful, or otherwise accurate. Do not rely solely on the information presented on these social media platforms for medical advice or other ACS programs. Further, ACS does not create nor control any opinions or statements expressed by others within its social media channels, including those that Follow, Like, re-Tweet, re-post, or otherwise share ACS content therein, nor does any similar action undertaken by ACS concerning another user’s content constitute an endorsement of that user.
The Website may also have links to social media accounts concerning local-area ACS events and programs, but these are not created or operated by ACS staff members, and any Content on these social media accounts are not considered to be endorsed by ACS.
By submitting Content to any part of the Website or via the Service where such Content is viewable to the public, User agrees that such submissions are non-confidential and non-proprietary for all purposes. By providing any such submission, any material will be deemed and remain the property of ACS. You represent and warrant that the owner of such Content has expressly granted ACS a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, world-wide non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, display, modify, publish, edit, translate, distribute, perform, and create derivative works from Content in any media or medium, form, or forum known of hereafter developed.
You represent and warrant that you own and control all rights to such submissions and have the right to grant the license to us and our licensees, successors, and assigns, and that all contributions do, and will, comply with these Terms of Use. You understand and acknowledge you are responsible for any contributions you submit and you, not ACS, have full responsibility for such content, including its legality, reliability, accuracy, and appropriateness.
ACS has the right (but not the obligation) to refuse, move, edit, or delete any Content that is available on via the Service or on the Website at their sole discretion, for any or no reason. User acknowledges and agrees that ACS may take any action we deem necessary or appropriate if we believe Content violates the Terms of Use, including, but not limited to, infringing any intellectual property right, threatening the personal safety of users to the Website or the public, or if it potentially creates liability for the company. ACS may take appropriate legal action for any illegal or unauthorized use of the Website or the Service. ACS has the right to fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities or court order directing or requesting us to disclose your identity or information or preserve Content posted by you in relation to relevant legal action. YOU WAIVE AND HOLD HARMLESS ACS FROM ANY CLAIMS RESULTING FROM ANY ACTION TAKEN BY ACS DURING, OR AS A CONSEQUENCE OF, A LEGAL INVESTIGATION BY EITHER ACS OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES.
In its sole discretion, ACS has the right to terminate, restrict, or suspend your account and access to the Website and the Service for any or no reason, including, but not limited to, for lack of use or if ACS believes you have violated the Terms of Use. You agree that any termination of your ability to access the Website or use the Service may be done without prior notice and acknowledge that ACS may immediately deactivate or delete your account and all related information and files in your account, as well as bar further access to such files or the Service. ACS shall not be liable to you or any third party for any termination of your access to the Service.
ACS, however, cannot guarantee it reviews all material before it is posted on the Website or through the Service, and cannot ensure prompt removal of objectionable material after it has been posted. Accordingly, we assume no liability for any action or inaction regarding any transmissions, communications, or material provided by any user or third party. We have no liability or responsibility to anyone for performance or nonperformance of the activities described in this section.
Content available on the Website or through the Service may include material provided by or received from third parties. ACS does not permit the use of content on its websites that infringes on the trademark or copyrights of others and will remove any such content if properly notified of such violation in accordance with the procedure set forth below.
To notify ACS of alleged copyright or trademark infringement on any ACS affiliated website, send a written communication to the designated agent for such claims at the following address:
General Counsel
American Cancer Society, Inc.
250 Williams Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
LegalDepartment@cancer.org
(404) 320-3333
In your notice, please provide ALL of the following information (as required by 17 U.S.C. §512 (c)(3)):
i. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
ii. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site.
iii. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to locate the material.
iv. Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted.
v. A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
vi. A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
Upon receiving the above information, ACS will promptly investigate and take appropriate action, then notify you of the undertaken action at the provided contact address.
For information on how we use and collect User information when visiting the Website or using the Service, please see our Privacy Statement. By using the Website, you consent to all actions taken by us with respect to your information in compliance with the Privacy Statement.
User acknowledges that ACS may establish general practices and limits concerning use of the Website and the Service, including limiting the number of days e-mail messages and other uploaded content is retained by the website, the maximum number of e-mails received by an account, the maximum disk space allotted on servers for an account, and the maximum duration for which an account can be accessed. You acknowledge that ACS has no responsibility or liability concerning the deletion or failure to store any messages maintained or transmitted by the Website servers. You acknowledge ACS has the right to deactivate accounts that are inactive for an extended period of time.
User acknowledges that the opinions and recommendations contained in the Website are not necessarily those of the ACS or likewise endorsed by ACS. All statements and opinions expressed in these materials, as well as all articles and responses to questions and other content, save content expressly provided by ACS, are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the person or entity providing those materials.
The Website may provide links to other sites which are not under the control of ACS. These links are provided for convenience and reference only and are not intended as an endorsement by ACS. We are not responsible or liable to you or any other third party for the content, usefulness, or accuracy of any material provided by a third party. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk.
Medical Disclaimer
User acknowledges that the information in the Website is provided “as is” and for general information only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs.
Disclaimer of Warranties
THE WEBSITE, AND ALL DATA, INFORMATION, MATERIALS, CONTENT, USER CONTENT, REFERENCE SITES, SERVICES, OR APPLICATIONS MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE WEBSITE, ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” OR “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. NEITHER ACS NOR ANY PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH ACS WARRANTS ANY MATERIAL ON THE WEBSITE WITH RESPECT TO COMPLETENESS, SECURITY, RELIABILITY, QUALITY, ACCURACY, OR AVAILABILITY. FURTHERMORE, NEITHER ACS NOR ANY PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH ACS REPRESENTS OR WARRANTS THAT THE WEBSITE AND ITS CONTENT WILL BE AVAILABLE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL OTHERWISE MEET YOUR NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS.
ACS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DISTRIBUTED DENIAL-OF-SERVICE ATTACK, VIRUSES, OR OTHER TECHNOLOGICALLY HARMFUL MATERIAL THAT MAY AFFECT YOUR COMPUTER OR ASSOCIATED COMPUTER EQUIPMENT DUE TO YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR OF ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED OR DOWNLOADED BY USING THE WEBSITE, OR ANY WEBSITE LINKED TO IT. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING AND IMPLEMENTING SUFFICIENT SAFEGUARDS TO SATISFY YOUR OWN PARTICULAR REQUIREMENTS FOR ANTI-VIRUS PROTECTION AND DATA RECOVERY.
ACS HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY OF ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENCY, RELIABILITY, MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR FITNESS FOR A PURPOSE, OR ANY WARRANTY THAT THE WEBSITE, OR THE SERVER THAT MAKES IT AVAILABLE, IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL ELEMENTS, AND SUCH WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED.
THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY WARRANTIES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
Limitation of Liability
IN NO EVENT WILL ACS, NOR ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR VOLUNTEERS BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES (INCLUDING ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES), OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR ACCESS OF, USE OF, OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE, THIS WEBSITE OR OTHER WEBSITES TO WHICH IT LINKS (INCLUDING THIRD-PARTY MATERIALS). THIS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, INFORMATION OR MATERIALS VIEWED OR DOWNLOADED FROM THIS WEBSITE OR ANOTHER LINKED WEBSITE THAT APPEAR TO YOU OR ARE CONSTRUED BY YOU TO BE OBSCENE, OFFENSIVE, DEFAMATORY, OR INFRINGING ON YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. IN NO EVENT WILL ACS OR THIRD PARTIES THAT CONTRIBUTE INFORMATION TO THE WEBSITE BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY DECISION OR ACTION TAKEN BY YOU IN RELIANCE OF SUCH INFORMATION, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF OR ARE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THESE DAMAGES.
THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
Indemnification
User agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless ACS and its affiliates, licensors, and service providers, as well as their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors, and assigns from and against any claims, judgments, damages, expenses, losses, or liabilities arising out of or relating to your violation of the Terms of Use or your use of the Website, including, but not limited to, user submissions and any use of the Website’s material and services outside what has been expressly authorized in the Terms of Use.
American Cancer Society, the American Cancer Society logo, Attacking From Every Angle, Coaches vs. Cancer, Great American Smokeout, Making Strides, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Reach To Recovery, Relay For Life, and other marks are registered service marks of the American Cancer Society, Inc.
The mark, American Cancer Society, is a registered trademark of the American Cancer Society, Inc.
User must not use such marks without the prior written permission of the Company. All other names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans on this Website are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Cookies are small text files that are stored by the browser (for example, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome) on your computer or mobile phone. They allow websites to store things like user preference. You can think of cookies as providing a “memory” for the website, so that it can recognize you when you come back and respond appropriately. Cookies allow a web server to transfer data to a computer for recordkeeping and other purposes.
What cookies do we use and why?
The cookies used on our site are categorized as follows:
Strictly Necessary
“Strictly Necessary” cookies let you move around the site and use essential features like secure areas and donation processing functions. Without these cookies, information or services you have asked for cannot be provided. Please note that these cookies do not gather any information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you've been on the internet.
We use these Strictly Necessary cookies to:
Accepting these cookies is a condition of using the website, so if you prevent these cookies, you may not be able to use the site or its functionality, nor can we be certain that our site security controls will function properly or fully during your visit.
Performance
“Performance” cookies collect information about how you use our site (e.g., which pages you visit, and if you experience any errors). These cookies do not collect any information that could identify you directly and are used only to help us improve how our site works, understand what interests our users, and measure the effectiveness of our advertising.
We use Performance cookies for:
Some of our Performance cookies are managed for us by third parties. Where this is the case, we don't permit the third party to use the cookies for any purpose other than those listed above.
By using our site, you accept the use of “Performance” cookies. Accepting these cookies is a condition of using the site, so if you prevent them we cannot guarantee how the site will perform for you.
Functionality
“Functionality” cookies are used to provide services or to remember settings to improve your visit.
We use Functionality cookies to:
Some of these cookies are managed for us by third parties. Where this is the case, we don't permit the third party to use the cookies for any purpose other than those listed above.
Targeting
“Targeting” cookies are linked to services provided by third parties. These cookies are placed on our site by our third-party advertising service providers partners. They may be used to build a profile of your interests and provide you with relevant information related to the American Cancer Society mission, including fundraising efforts or events which might be of interest to you. They work by uniquely identifying your browser and device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will not experience our targeted advertising across different websites.
We use Targeting cookies to:
You can control whether these cookies are used but blocking them may prevent us from offering you some services or targeted advertising.
How a user can opt out of having cookies placed on their device(s)?
You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including strictly necessary cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies as soon you visit our site. Blocking or deleting cookies will not prevent device identification and related data collection from occurring. Blocking the browser's cookies will prevent cookies from measuring the relevance and effectiveness of our site/emails and advertising as well as the tailored advertising brought to you by our partners. You also may not be able to use all the interactive features of our site/emails if cookies are disabled.
Can I withdraw my consent?
Once you have given us your consent to the use of cookies, we shall store a cookie on your computer or device to remember this for next time. This will expire periodically. If you wish to withdraw your consent at any time, you will need to delete, then block, your cookies using your internet browser settings.
For further information about deleting or blocking cookies, please visit: https://cookiepedia.co.uk/how-to-manage-cookies or https://www.aboutcookies.org/how-to-delete-cookies/.
Choices.
To obtain information about opting-out of targeted advertising, you may contact one of the following industry groups:
Please note that when using the ad industry opt-out tools above, such opting-out only applies to members of that specific industry group and only those members will no longer deliver targeted content or ads to you. It does not mean you will no longer receive any targeted content or ads on our sites or other websites. You may continue to receive advertisements, for example, based on the website that you are viewing. Also, if your browsers are configured to block cookies when you visit this opt-out page, or you subsequently erase your cookies, use a different computer or change web browsers, your opt-out may no longer be effective.
Changes to the Terms of Use
ACS reserves the right, at our discretion, to revise and update the Terms of Use at any time. All changes are effective immediately upon posting, and apply to all access to and use of the Website thereafter. Users are expected to check for updates to the Terms of Use from time to time, and ACS will extend reasonable effort to notify you if such material changes occur. Continued use of the Website following the posting of revised Terms of Use indicates you have accepted and agree to the changes.
The Website (excluding linked sites) is controlled by ACS, which is headquartered in the State of Georgia, United States of America. It can be accessed from all 50 states, as well as from other countries around the world. As each of these places may have laws that differ from those of Georgia, by accessing this website both you and ACS agree that the statutes and laws of the State of Georgia, without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof, will apply to all matters arising from or relating to the use of this website. You and the American Cancer Society also agree and hereby submit to the exclusive personal jurisdiction and venue of the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia with respect to such matters. ACS makes no representation that materials on the website are appropriate or available for use in other locations, and accessing them from territories where their contents are illegal is prohibited. Those who choose to access this website from other locations do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.
By using the Website or the Service, User agrees to receive electronic communications from us regarding your use of the Website or Service and that any notices, agreements, or other communications that we send to you will satisfy any legal requirements, including that communications must be in writing.
If ACS does not exercise or enforce any particular right set forth in the Terms of Use, ACS does not waive that right. If a court finds any provision of the Terms of Use invalid, then you and ACS agree that the court should attempt to follow the intention of the provision and that all other terms of the Terms of Use will remain in effect.
Last Modified: September 17, 2018