Winter in the Midwest may be cold and gray with temperatures and wind chills routinely hovering at or below freezing. Cancer patients especially may feel the cold more acutely than most people. As a result, winter may have more of an impact on a cancer patient’s physical and mental wellbeing.
In fact, research has shown that weather conditions may even be a contributing factor to cancer mortality for those with advanced disease.

Being aware of the challenges a midwestern winter presents, making an effort to navigate them, and balancing physical and mental well-being is crucial, experts say.
“I think during these colder months, even though it may create certain barriers, no one should be barred from having fun or socializing,” says Kevin Zhang, M.D., a medical oncologist at City of Hope® Cancer Center Chicago, who advises avoiding contagious illnesses without becoming a recluse. “You just have to sometimes be a little more creative. I’m a strong believer that life is meant to be lived.”
This article explores:
- Why Do Cancer Patients Feel Cold?
- The Impact of Cold Temperatures on Cancer Patients.
- Navigating Midwestern Winters if You Have Cancer.
- How Your Care Team May Help You Through Winter.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with lung cancer and are looking for a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-524-4673.
Why Do Cancer Patients Feel Cold?
Even sitting by a cozy fire indoors, cancer patients still may feel chilled due to the effects cancer and treatments have on the body.
Loss of appetite is a common side effect and if this leads to significant weight loss and low body weight, that may result in constantly feeling cold and difficulty in getting warm, experts say.
Other side effects like anemia and neuropathy may make colder temperatures harder to endure.
Anemia is a condition in which the blood has lower than normal red blood cells and a reduced ability to transport oxygen. Cancer and cancer treatments may reduce blood supply volume and blood cell counts and lead to lowered immunity and anemia. To help counteract anemia, people should try to eat a balanced diet or take supplements to help ensure adequate nutrition. Dehydration also may cause chills due to disruption of how the body regulates its temperature, so be sure to drink plenty of fluids.
For those with advanced cancer, or cancer that has spread beyond the primary location, the body may no longer be able to properly regulate body temperature.
Depending on the type of treatment patients are receiving, chemotherapy, and certain drugs in particular, can exacerbate feelings of cold in cancer patients.
For instance, a side effect of the common chemotherapy drug Oxaliplatin may be a hypersensitivity to cold and cold-induced neuropathy.
Neuropathy is when nerves, often in the extremities like the hands and feet, do not function properly, causing a numbness or tingling feeling. Cold-induced neuropathy makes the tingling and numb feelings even more pronounced, or even painful, when in contact with cold temperatures.
The impact chemotherapy may have on the oxygen-carrying red blood cells and the infection-fighting white blood cells, may lead to feeling cold and even numb when sufficient red blood cells are not getting to the fingertips and toes.
The Impact of Cold Temperatures on Cancer Patients
Cold weather may have a serious impact on cancer patients if they don’t take precautions. The challenges they face include those listed below.
Frostbite or other complications due to neuropathy: The condition may make patients less aware of changes in temperature and pain, which is the job of the nerves to remind people there is cold and they need to bundle up.
Contagious illness due to compromised immunity: People with cancer may be more susceptible to infections during cold and flu season.
Thrombosis and hemorrhage in those with advanced cancer: According to a 2018 study, advanced cancer patients are at a greater risk of thrombosis and hemorrhage in cold weather due to vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels slowing blood flow, and increased blood pressure due to the body’s sympathetic nervous system responding to the cold and slowing blood flow. Researchers also note that for advanced cancer patients the dysfunction of organ systems may make their bodies incapable of responding adequately to temperature changes.
Navigating Midwestern Winters If You Have Cancer
Here are some expert tips for navigating a midwestern winter if you have cancer.
Stay Active
Sure, there will be days when you want to curl up on the couch near the fireplace with a warm cup of tea and a movie, but Dr. Zhang advises against making this your winter routine.
“Of course, people have a much higher propensity to become kind of a couch potato in the winter. It's only human,” admits Dr. Zhang. “But it's still important to try to find ways to stay active, whether it's engaging in some sort of aerobic exercise, just in your living room or if you have something like a treadmill. I think it's important cancer patients give themselves a little tough love and push themselves to be more active so that they can keep up their energy and try to maintain their quality of life.”
Protect Yourself
Be prepared before going outside by wearing thick socks, mittens, a warm hat that covers your ears and a scarf over your face, the experts recommend.
Enjoy Comfort Foods
Dr. Zhang says for many cancer patients weight gain is not an issue.
“For most patients going through cancer treatments, I'd much rather patients maintain or gain weight than lose weight,” he says. “I think a lot of people stress trying to maintain certain diets, but I think the number one goal is to not lose weight.”
If you are on hormone therapies or in survivorship, however, you may have a propensity to gain excess weight.
“For those patients in particular I think it's important to really be careful during those colder months where they're going be less active and they're going to be eating heavier, heartier meals with friends and families around,” says Dr. Zhang. “The weight gain you get while on hormonal treatments can impact your more long-term cardiovascular health, so being careful is prudent.”
Generally, Dr. Zhang’s philosophy when it comes to winter diet is: “I won’t dissuade people from just enjoying the holidays and eating, but everything in moderation. Life is meant to be lived, but if you live in excess, then you might pay the consequences in other ways.”
Get Vaccinated
Some cancer treatments may compromise immunity to contagious illnesses like flu, RSV and COVID-19. You should talk to your doctor about getting flu, COVID and RSV vaccines to help avoid illness. Ask your doctor on timing of the vaccines since you may want to take them between cancer treatment cycles.
Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands or using hand sanitizer after shaking someone’s hand or being out in public or using the bathroom. Practice social distancing and wear a mask when traveling or in large gatherings.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Zhang says he has moderated his recommendations about protecting against contagious illness for his patients, especially during the winter months.
“I realized the gravity of not having more nuanced recommendations and that there's no one size fits all. I tell people to be smart, but life is not without risk, right?” he says. “Humans are social creatures; we depend on each other. Cancer patients more than most people really depend on their village of people around them. At this time of year human interaction is particularly important, so it would be cruelly unfair for me to recommend people stay away from families. Enjoy your time, but just have your wits about you and be smart.”
Stay Social
For mental health, it’s important to remain connected to family and friends even if it’s via technology, Dr. Zhang says.
“People really don't have any excuse these days not to connect — we have so much great technology around us and many ways to interact with people — not just talking or video chatting, but even playing games,” he says. “I encourage people, if they can't meet in person because they're prohibited somehow by weather, then a phone call or regular FaceTime chats with families and friends are important.”
Ask for Help
Winter weather also may mean more physical work like shoveling snow or de-icing sidewalks. Dr. Zhang encourages his patients to not be shy in asking for help when it comes to wintertime chores.
“More than ever the wintertime is a time that we — just as humans in general — lean on each other. Cancer patients really should lean on their village and not be afraid to ask for help. I always tell my patients that you work your whole life building this village around you and now you're in a position where you need help. It's your time to lean on your village, and I think that they'd be more than happy to help.”
How Your Care Team May Help You Through Winter
Beyond these practical tips, your City of Hope care team can help you navigate the perils of winter and support your health through the cold months.
Doctors may suggest treatments like medication or therapies to address neuropathy. Dietitians and nutritionists on your team can give you meal plans and ideas on how to maintain your weight in a healthy — and palatable — way.
Therapists and counselors may help you keep the winter blues at bay.
Communicate any side effects you may be experiencing with your care team along with any concerns you may have when venturing out during these cold months.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with lung cancer and are looking for a second opinion, call us 24/7 at 877-524-4673.