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Cancer Explained, Out Loud
Some days reading is hard — you’re tired, your eyes hurt, or you’d simply rather listen. This is a small, hand-picked set of our most useful plain-language explainers, read aloud. Play an episode right here, or subscribe in your podcast app.
These recordings use an AI voice
Each episode is spoken by an AI text-to-speech voice, not a human narrator. The words come straight from the matching article, which is drawn from authoritative sources such as the National Cancer Institute. AI-assisted and source verified. Not reviewed by a healthcare professional unless specifically stated. This is general education, not medical advice — for your own situation, talk with your healthcare team. Learn more about how we use AI.
Subscribe in your podcast app
Copy the feed link below and add it as a podcast by URL. In most apps this is under “Add a show by URL,” “Add by RSS,” or “Follow a URL.” The same feed works once the show is listed in Apple Podcasts and Spotify (we submit the feed to each directory).
https://cancerexplained.org/podcast.xml
You can also open the raw feed directly.
Episodes
20 episodes
- cancer basics
What Is Cancer? How It Starts and Spreads
A plain-language introduction to what cancer actually is: how normal cells change, why they grow out of control, and how cancers are named for where they start.
- cancer basics
Metastatic Cancer: When Cancer Spreads
What it means when cancer spreads to another part of the body, why it keeps the name of the original cancer, and how treatment often focuses on control and comfort.
- cancer basics
Benign vs. Malignant Tumors
The difference between a benign lump and a cancerous one, in everyday words — what each means and why the distinction matters.
- cancer basics
Understanding Cancer Grade
What 'grade' means on a report, how it differs from stage, and what low-grade versus high-grade tells you about how cells look and grow.
- cancer basics
What Are Tumor Markers?
A simple guide to tumor markers — what these blood tests can and cannot tell you, and why they are rarely enough to diagnose cancer on their own.
- what to expect
What Happens After a Cancer Biopsy (Waiting for Results)
Where your tissue goes after a biopsy, why results take time, who will call you, and what can make the wait a little more bearable.
- what to expect
Waiting for Cancer Test Results: How to Cope
Practical, gentle ways to get through the anxious wait for results — structure, limiting internet searches, and leaning on people you trust.
- what to expect
What to Bring to Your First Oncology Appointment
A simple checklist for your first oncology visit — records, questions, insurance, and bringing someone to listen and take notes.
- what to expect
What Happens During Radiation Simulation
What the radiation planning appointment involves — the scan, the position, the skin marks — and why no treatment is given that day.
- what to expect
What to Bring to Chemotherapy
How to pack for an infusion day — comfortable layers, snacks, something to pass the time, and questions to ask ahead of time.
- questions to ask
Questions to Ask About Your Cancer Diagnosis
Questions that can help you understand a new diagnosis — your type of cancer, its stage, whether it has spread, and what comes next.
- questions to ask
Questions to Ask at Your First Oncology Visit
Useful questions for your first visit with an oncologist — the treatment plan, the logistics of getting treatment, and daily-life practicalities.
- questions to ask
Questions to Ask Before Chemotherapy
Questions to bring before chemotherapy starts — the goal of treatment, the schedule, likely side effects, and what to watch for.
- questions to ask
Questions to Ask Before Cancer Surgery
Questions to help you understand an operation — what it involves, the risks and recovery, and what the pathology afterward will show.
- questions to ask
Questions to Ask Before Radiation Therapy
Questions to ask before radiation begins — the goal, the number of sessions, the planning process, and likely side effects.
- caregivers
How to Support Someone With Cancer
How steady presence and small, specific acts of help — a meal, a ride, a check-in text — often matter more than grand gestures.
- caregivers
How to Talk to Someone With Cancer
You don't need perfect words. A plain-language guide to supportive language, being led by the person, and a few things to avoid.
- caregivers
Caregiver Self-Care: Looking After Yourself
Why caring for your own needs and health gives you the strength to keep caring for someone else — and simple ways to start.
- caregivers
Caregiver Burnout: Signs and How to Prevent It
How caregiving stress builds into burnout, the signs to watch for, and why asking for help is a protection, not a failure.
- caregivers
Caring for Someone With Cancer
An overview of what caregiving can involve — daily tasks, medical care, coordination, and emotional support — and how to make it manageable.
Prefer text? Every episode links to the full article. You can also browse everything on the library or catch up with the weekly digest.