Symptoms of cancer and its treatments are both variable and vast. The symptoms that cause most distress to the individual and have detrimental effects on wound care include fungating wounds, lymphoedema, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, malnutrition and psychological issues. Many of these symptoms as well as implications of treatments have a deleterious effect on wound care management and on the individual. Chronic wounds can have a severe negative impact on patients’ body image, their sense of self-worth and their lives. Caring for a patient with cancer with a chronic wound should encompass an individual, holistic approach.