If you’ve ever had a charley horse — or a severe sudden spasm in your calf — you know that muscle cramps are no joke.  

But did you also know that muscle cramps can be a side effect of cancer treatment? Below, I’ll explain why these uncomfortable spasms sometimes happen to cancer patients, how we treat them, and whether they’re temporary or permanent. 

There are...

Starting chemotherapy for the first time? If you are new to this common cancer treatment, you're probably wondering how chemotherapy works, if you'll lose your hair or even if chemotherapy hurts.

To learn more, we spoke with Mariela Blum Murphy, M.D., a medical oncologist who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers. Here’s what she had to say.