Steroids are used frequently in cancer therapy, either to augment the effect of cancer drugs or as anti-emetics. Although rare, the potentially serious side effect of hyperglycaemia is often overlooked. Dion Smyth and Theresa Smyth discuss the impact and management of the blood glucose effects of steroids in cancer care

The writer/performer David Izod who, in a series of stage presentations, eloquently explained his experience and treatment of testicular teratoma, described chemotherapy as probably one of the most dreaded words in the English language. ‘Steroid’ is a relatively little word in the large lexicon of language peculiar to cancer and palliative care. Nevertheless, it can provoke an equally powerful response from patient and professional alike, conjuring up images of whale-like weight gain or the super-human strength of a sports cheat, or the anticipation of a host of other unpleasant side effects (Cotterill 1998). Imagine, then, the powerful thoughts triggered when the two words are used together – chemotherapy and steroid – as often occurs in cancer treatment.