The American Society of Clinical Oncology is a professional organization representing medical professionals who specialize in cancer treatment and research, including oncologists, oncology nurses, and cancer researchers. The Society has pooled its extensive expertise to develop a patient, survivor, and caregiver-friendly Web site, Cancer.Net.
Strengths: This Web site draws on the expertise of its membership to provide accurate, reliable, oncologist-approved information about cancer and its treatment.
About Clinical Trials
The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Cancer.Net Web site provides extensive, easy-to-understand information about clinical trials: what they are; who sponsors them, an explanation of their various phases; what insurance coverage is available for them; and a handy list of questions to ask your research team if you are considering participating in a clinical trial. The site also links to several established resources to locate clinical trials. The information is also available in Spanish.
Cancer Drugs
This Web page, hosted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Cancer.Net Web site, provides links to a number of resources, such as the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, where one can find summaries of drug information, including proper usage, precautions, drug interaction warnings, and side effects for both prescription and nonprescription drugs. On most of these sites, you can search either by drug name or browse the alphabetical listing.
Cancer in Older Adults
Cancer.Net's Web site provides oncologist-approved cancer information from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. This section of their site provides comprehensive information regarding cancer in older persons. Begin with the excellent overview entitled Cancer in the Older Person, which summarizes the most important issues facing older adults with cancer, such as physical changes, emotional concerns, and maintaining independence.
Other major chapters include: Cancer in Daily Life, which provides practical tips regarding how older adults can manage their cancer care and cope with financial concerns; Co-Existing Conditions, where one can learn about common conditions in older people with cancer that may affect their treatment and recovery; and Health Assessment, where one can find information on how doctors determine the ability of the older person with cancer to undergo treatment.
There is also a section explaining Clinical Trials, and a section containing links to additional practical online resource sites, such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Veteran's Benefits.
Cancer in Teenagers
Cancer.Net is a site providing onocologist-approved cancer information from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. This section of the site presents information to help teens who are coping with cancer. It offers sections pertaining to education, support groups, treatment, and how to deal with family, friends and school. There is also a section containing additional, external resources, such as information on camps and retreats, and a listing of educational scholarships available to teenagers with cancer.
Cancer Information
Cancer.Net, the American Society of Clinical Oncology's patient Web site, provides oncologist-approved information on more than 120 types of cancer in their Cancer Types section, including symptoms, diagnosis, staging, and treatment. The each cancer-specific write-up indicates when the material was last updated. The site also includes information about managing side effects and finding support groups. There are tailored lists of questions that patients may want to ask their doctors about treatment and related issues, as well as information about research on the horizon.
In the Library section, links to several online medical dictionaries are available, but you must enter the term you are looking for to find its definition. You will have difficulty finding a term if you do not have the correct spelling. There are also links to basic oncology terms, grouped into sections for the newly diagnosed, those currently receiving treatment, and those who have completed treatment. A Medical Illustrations Gallery offers full-color anatomical illustrations of common cancer sites, and there are podcasts (digital audio recordings) available to download, giving people the option of hearing, rather than reading, cancer.net's oncologist-approved information. Most information is also provided in Spanish.
Cancer Treatment Summaries
Often, medical care is divided among many members of a healthcare team, resulting in poor communication among the various physicians and systems. In order to simplify the communication of complex information, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is developing templates for cancer treatment and summaries. These forms can be downloaded to your computer and printed out for you to take to your oncologist. They provide a convenient way to store information about your type and stage of cancer, the cancer treatment you received, and the expected follow-up care. The treatment plans and summaries should then be placed in your medical chart so that healthcare professionals who subsequently see you will have a good summary of all treatments given to date. ASCO has developed adjuvant and survivorship forms specifically for breast and colon cancer, as well as a general cancer adjuvant treatment plan. They are also in the process of developing one designed specifically for lung cancer.
Lung Cancer Information
Here you will find comprehensive, oncologist-approved information from the American Society of Clinical Oncology about lung cancer. In addition to a thorough overview indicating when the material was last updated, the site includes sections about risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, staging, treatment, clinical trials, side effects, and what to expect after treatment. There is also a tailored list of questions that patients may want to ask their doctors, as well as information about research on the horizon.
Mesothelioma
This oncologist-approved information for the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Web site provides on overview of mesothelioma, including current research, as well as news and support information.
Selecting an Oncologist (Cancer Doctor)
Cancer.Net, the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Web site for patients, provides helpful information about selecting an oncologist in one easy-to-read section. Descriptions of the different kinds of oncologists — such as medical, surgical, and radiation — are concise and comprehensive. You can also find information about seeking a second opinion. Finally, you may search their Find an Oncologist Database by name, organization, location, specialty, and/or board certification. Note: some oncological specialties in the database might not be familiar to patients until their specific type of cancer is diagnosed.
The Oncology Team Defined
Since cancer treatment can be complex, treatment often involves input from a multidisciplinary team. A team approach combines the skills of several different cancer doctors into one consulting group. This page on Cancer.Net's Web site provides clear, concise definitions of the types of cancer specialists that may be involved in a patient's treatment team, such as a medical oncologist, surgical oncologist, diagnostic radiologist, pathologist, oncology nurse, and oncology social workers, amongst others.
