More than 80 per cent of people working with cancer felt that their colleagues had been very supportive, even if they had little or no knowledge of cancer, its treatments and side effects, according to one survey.

Some caring companies put on workshops for staff (run by organisations such as the Cancer Counselling Trust, www.cctrust.org.uk) to help the other staff deal with their own issues and prepare to help you. How you deal with the issues will vary with your individual temperament and situation: no way is more right than others. You probably won’t want to make a fuss, but establishing some guidelines in advance will help everyone – you can always change them if you need to. It may help if, before you go back to work, you can meet up with close colleagues and chat through your preliminary concerns – and theirs – and practical ways in which they can help you. If you decide to do this, jot down your thoughts before you meet up.

However organised you are, your treatment is bound to affect your job performance in some way – for instance, with time off and, inevitably, fatigue. According to a survey conducted for Macmillan Cancer Relief by Mori, workers with cancer found the following symptoms caused the most difficulty:

When you first go back to work, talk to the people you work with about how you can update them on ‘need to know’ information about your state of health. On top of that, how much you talk about what is happening to you depends on your personality – whether you are generally open or you prefer privacy. Some people want to get away from their cancer, and prefer not to discuss it at all. Others find that a more upfront approach sustains them. Your working environment will be a critical factor. For instance, a deadline-driven, speedy office may not permit a great deal of non-work conversation anyway, whereas it might be different in a more relaxed atmosphere.

The Cancer Counselling Trust points out that explaining to caring colleagues how you feel on a daily basis can be exhausting. One way of dealing with this is to acknowledge your gratitude that they do care and suggest sending e-mails as and when there’s something specific to alert them to: for instance, if you’re having treatment and will be away, then you may be more tired than usual; or a crucial test may be looming which is making you anxious. Another way is to ask a close colleague to field any enquiries and send round update e-mails to those involved.

Sometimes, people with cancer find themselves getting uncontrollably angry and resentful. Some of this is to do with a basic human reaction of anger at having cancer, or you may find that unconsciously you are resenting the other person for being healthy. You may also feel especially vulnerable and out of control on some days. Your emotions may suddenly boil over at anyone, including your colleagues, which can be hard for them to cope with and understand.

Do find out if there is someone you can talk to – and somewhere to go and cool down – if this should happen. And it’s important not to blame yourself if it does. Cancerbackup has a useful booklet, Talking About Your Cancer, with hints on resolving this sort of conflict.

If you are self-employed and/or work alone, plan for the low days when you need a friendly voice. Have a short list of supportive people (remember that they don’t need to be close friends; sometimes it’s easier to talk to people who are not too emotionally involved with you) or helplines to call when you need a boost or a ‘phone moan’. One important plus about working from home is that you can easily take an afternoon nap, which many find to be essential.