Recommended Links: By Category

Here you will find information from the National Cancer Institute about AIDS-related cancers, the most common of which are non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Treatment information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — in both English and Spanish. You can find results of noteworthy AIDS-related clinical trials and search for clinical trials seeking participants with AIDS-related cancers. You can also browse AIDS-related cancer literature, research, statistics, and related information.

Air Charity Network coordinates flights to the continental United States as well as Alaska and Hawaii for patients or caregivers in need. Flights are available through independent member organizations in specific locations. Please visit Air Charity Network’s Web site for detailed information, or call 877-621-7177.

This site can help you find a dermatologist in your area, and also provides information about skin cancer, including basic facts, risk factors, where to get local screenings, prevention, self-examination, diagnosis, and treatment. There is also information on melanoma provided in Spanish.

This site serves the national network of State Pain Initiatives — volunteer organizations that work to disseminate accurate pain management information and raise public and patient awareness of the importance of pain management. To help accomplish that mission, the Resource Center provides resources, at nominal cost or free, such as “Cancer Pain Can Be Relieved,” “Children’s Cancer Pain Can Be Relieved,” “Eight Facts Everyone Should Know About Cancer Pain,” and “Post Operative Pain Management,” which can all be downloaded using the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

The American Board of Medical Specialties is the umbrella organization for the 24 approved medical specialty boards in the United States. Knowing whether a doctor is board certified in an appropriate specialty is important because it indicates his or her level of expertise in a particular area. This website is the source for that information.

Certification by an American Board of Medical Specialties Member Board shows that a physician has met certain education and training requirements and has passed a specialty examination. The American Board of Medical Specialties maintains an online database of board-certified specialists and subspecialists, including medical oncologists, radiologists, surgeons, hematologists, pediatricians, anesthesiologists, and others. After registering, which is free and requires only an e-mail address and your first and last names, you can search the Who's Certified database either by doctors' names or by their specialties. The database also lists doctors' educational backgrounds.

ABTA Kids is a section of the American Brain Tumor Association's website that is written and designed to present a wealth of information about brain tumors to children of all ages.

This section of the American Cancer Society's Web site offers valuable information regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an act that protects against discrimination when cancer prevents or severely restricts the performance of tasks essential to daily life.

The section clearly describes the scope of the ADA, providing information such as where cancer patients might encounter discrimination, and what is considered a disability. There is also a Questions & Answers section, that addresses qustions such as what you should do if you think you are being discriminated against, based on disability, in either a work situation or outside a job setting. The Additional Resources section provides links for resources such as the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Job Accommodation Network, as well as the ADA's mailing address and toll-free telephone number — the ADA Information Line.

This section of the American Cancer Society’s Web site comprises personal stories from cancer survivors that are published in an effort to share resources and offer hope and strength to others. By registering to become a member, which is free-of-charge, you can create your own web space, and populate it with your favorite “expressions”, including poems, photos, audio/video, and blog entries. You can also browse the Member Resource Library, which includes recommended books, events, videos and web sites, and view members’ personal Web pages and blogs to find others facing challenges similar to yours.

If you find a Web page that interests you, you can add that person to your “friends” list, e-mail that person, or add the Web page to your favorites list. Registering also allows you to post messages to the network’s discussion boards and participate in chat groups. There are discussion groups on virtually every type of cancer as well as on issues such as emotional support and cancer in the workplace. Registered users can control access to their personal information, such as their e-mail address, and networks are available in Chinese and Spanish, as well.

Presented on the American Cancer Society's (ACS) Web site, the NexProfiler Tool, an interactive treatment decision tool, is designed to help patients better evaluate their treatment options and, with their physicians, make informed treatment decisions. It is available through a partnership between the ACS and NexCura, the for-profit healthcare information company that created the tool. In addition to the ACS site, the tool is also offered free of charge on other cancer and medical-related Web sites. It provides you with treatment options for 20 different types of cancer. To use this tool, patients should have a precise diagnosis and extensive information about their tumor type.

To access the tool, you must register. You also will need to complete a detailed, confidential questionnaire about your diagnosis, providing information about pathology results, staging, tumor marker test results, and other medical information. This questionnaire may take 15 to 30 minutes to complete. Based on the information you enter, you will receive a Treatment Options Report, with a description of each treatment option and the side effects most commonly associated with it. This report does not identify the best option(s) but includes all possible options. You can then access the Treatment Outcomes Tool to get information about outcomes related to your treatment options. This tool does not predict your likelihood of surviving cancer based on a particular treatment. Rather, it will guide you to abstracts of peer-reviewed medical journal articles that involve patients with a similar diagnosis and tumor type as yours. These abstracts are not written for a general lay audience and may require the guidance of a physician to interpret. Some of the journal articles have been published in the past several years; others were published a decade ago.

The American Cancer Society presents comprehensive information about what cancer patients should know about clinical trials. This information includes an explanation of why clinical trials are conducted and who sponsors and conducts them; questions to consider if you are thinking about participating in a clinical trial; an explanation of the risks and benefits of participation, and what participation would involve; and information about whether medical insurance covers the cost of clinical trials.

Angel Flights uses volunteer, private pilots and aircrafts to offer charitable flights to patients travelling from or to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Angel Flight can also coordinate flights out of their targeted areas with other aviation organizations. Please visit Angel Flights’ Web site for detailed information, or call 918-749-8992.

While many older people need help paying for health care, millions of them are eligible for, but not receiving, benefits from existing federal, state, and local programs. On this site, developed and maintained by The National Council on Aging (NCOA), seniors with limited income and resources can search, be pre-screened, and apply for, a host of benefits programs.

The site contains questionnaires that request information such as your age, residency, income, health conditions, what medications you are taking, as well as any special circumstances, for example, whether you are a veteran. Based on your answers, the site recommends which benefits plans you are eligible for, or believes you should compare.

There is adequate on-screen help content that provides background information to help you answer the questions as accurately as possible. The text is large and easy to read, and the layout is clear and easily navigated, making the site extremely accessible. Once your plans are selected, the site also provides you with links to pertinent fact sheets and worksheets.

BCAN’s mission is to increase public awareness about bladder cancer; to advance bladder cancer research; and to provide educational and support services for the bladder cancer community.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about bone cancer, including Ewing family of tumors, osteosarcomas, bone fibrous histiocytomas, and chondrosarcoma. Information is also available for secondary bone cancer, that has spread to the bone from another part of the body (such as the prostate, breast, or lung). You will find treatment options by type of disease presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals. You can search for clinical trials involving patients with bone cancer, and read a fact sheet Bone Cancer: Questions and Answers.
Information is also available in Spanish.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about primary and secondary brain tumors, both for adult and pediatric patients, including symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options. You can find treatment options by type of brain tumor and see the results of noteworthy brain tumor clinical trials. Information is presented in formats for patients and for health professionals, in English and in Spanish. You can also search to find clinical trials enrolling patients with brain tumors.

For a good overview, see the online booklet What You Need To Know About Brain Tumors which you can page through to learn about brain tumor symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and questions to ask the doctor. Words that may be unfamiliar appear in italics. The NCI Dictionary explains these terms.

Maintained by the Biology Department at Emory University, this site explains the biology of cancer for several different audiences: patients, educators, students, and health professionals. You do not have to have a biology background to understand this information, which is organized into the topics Cell Biology, Cancer Biology, Detection and Treatment, Current Research, Multimedia and Additional Resources. This site is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Italian. The site contains numerous graphic images and animations to convey the information. In order to see the animations, you will need the Flash Player, which can be downloaded for free. An easy-to-use online dictionary is also available. Recommended for those who want to understand the basis of their disease.

The Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR) provides information and support to cancer patients and those who care for them through cancer-related Internet mailing lists and Web-based resources. Mailing lists include numerous cancer support groups, language-specific groups, and groups that are focused on a particular cancer.

ACOR hosts about 160 cancer-related Internet mailing lists. There are mailing lists that offer “psychosocial” support to cancer patients, including those experiencing depression related to diagnosis or treatment, fatigue, and fertility issues. This support is offered by patients and patient advocacy groups. There is also a list for caregivers.

Many of the lists have at least 200 subscribers and, therefore, generate a high volume of e-mail every day. You can see how many subscribers are in each list before you subscribe. If you subscribe to any of the lists, you should expect to receive a lot of e-mail. You can opt to receive one large e-mail daily instead of individual e-mails each time a member sends a message to a list.

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.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.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.

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.

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.

Here you will find comprehensive, oncologist-approved information from the American Society of Clinical Oncology about thymoma. In addition to a thorough overview indicating when the material was lasted updated, the site includes sections regarding 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.

This national, non-profit organization provides free, professional support services to cancer patients and their families and caregivers, including counseling, education, financial assistance, and practical help.

Strengths: CancerCare helps anyone affected by cancer — patients, caregivers, children, loved ones, and the bereaved — through its innovative counseling and support groups. Online support groups via message boards are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Individual telephone counseling and telephone support groups are also offered. All programs are provided by trained oncology social workers and are free of charge. CancerCare also provides free telephone education workshops on a variety of cancer-related topics, as well as financial assistance and practical help for dealing with a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

CancerCare offers free counseling either individually or through professionally run support groups on a wide range of topics. Both types of counseling are offered online, by phone, or in person (at CancerCare locations in New York, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut). CancerCare social workers can also guide patients and family members to counseling and support groups in their own communities.

A full listing of CancerCare support groups is available on the Web site. Online support groups via message boards are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are moderated by professional oncology social workers. There are support groups for patients, caregivers, and those who have lost a loved one to cancer. These groups are sub-categorized by type of cancer, treatment side effects, age group, survivorship, and relationship to the patient, (e.g., parents, spouses, etc.). Participation in online support groups is free and confidential, but you must register to participate.

What is unique about CancerCare's online support groups is that the social worker facilitating the group maintains regular contact with each of its participants. This facilitator will reply to unanswered questions and concerns as needed and offer guidance and resources to the group. Support group participants can also contact their social worker at CancerCare if they need additional support.

CancerCare's Reading Room offers easy-to-understand publications about cancer, including medical, emotional, and practical concerns related to the disease. Booklets and fact sheets can be downloaded free of charge, or print copies may be ordered online. To view the online versions, you will need a PDF viewer such as Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded from the internet free of charge.

This award-winning game for children with cancer is based on action hero-type comic strips written by a young patient at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. The Adventures of Captain Chemo interactive computer games to help educate and entertain young cancer patients about chemotherapy.

Hepatitis B is caused by a virus that attacks the liver. This virus also increases the risk of liver cancer, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver failure, and even death. The federal Centers for Disease Control Web site provides information about the hepatitis B virus as well as other forms of hepatitis (A, B, C, D, and E) that do not cause cancer.

In the Hepatitis B section, you can find information on the Hepatitis B vaccine, which is recommended for all infants, children and adolescents under 19 who have not been vaccinated, and adults who might be at risk. There is also a podcast geared to the Asian-American community, in which it is a chronic infection, stressing the importance of testing, vaccination, and care to prevent serious health consequences from this “silent” disease. Here, you can also read fact sheets, and download many of the Centers for Disease Control’s hepatitis publications free of charge. Information is clearly divided into sections that are appropriate for the general public and for health professionals.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about cervical cancer, including risk factors, prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options. You can find treatment options by stage of disease and results of noteworthy cervical cancer clinical trials. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can also search to find clinical trials enrolling patients with cervical cancer. Information is also available in Spanish. There is also a helpful online booklet What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Cervix, which you can page through to learn about cervical cancer symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and questions to ask the doctor. Words that may be unfamiliar appear in italics. Definitions of these and other terms related to cancer can be found in the NCI Dictionary.

This website provides excerpts from several books about childhood cancers, including leukemia, brain and spinal cord tumors, and childhood solid tumors. It also lists organizations that provide information, emotional support, financial support, and other help to families who have a child with cancer, and/or are survivors of childhood cancers.

Parents play a vital role in protecting their child’s best interests and, for this reason, it can be especially hard for some parents to know whether a medical research study is appropriate for their child. This Web site can help parents (and legal guardians) separate the myths about medical research in children from the realities so that they can answer such questions as: What is medical research? How is research different from the treatment my child is receiving? What are the possible risks and benefits?

The Web site includes an interactive video presentation that explains both the basics of medical research and more detailed information about participation in medical research studies, such as the protections afforded to patients and the difference between standard and experimental therapies. You can also choose to read this information by clicking on the headings at the top of the screen.

The “Questions For Research Team” button allows you to prepare a customized list of questions to ask the research team. You can select from sample questions and/or create your own list of questions. When you are finished, you can choose to print, save, or e-mail your list of questions. The site’s reference library includes a helpful list of FAQs and a glossary of terms related to medical research studies.

The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups, Inc. — a network of cancer clinical trials specialists — includes cooperative clinical trials groups, cancer centers, academic medical centers, community hospitals, physician practices, and patient advocate groups. The Coalition offers a variety of programs and information for patients and physicians, which are designed to increase awareness of, and participation in, cancer clinical trials.

For some cancer patients, clinical trials may offer the best available treatment and the opportunity to receive new, potentially more effective therapy. Here you will find important information to help you decide whether a clinical trial is right for you, including questions to ask your doctor, guidelines on the informed consent process (a part of the decision that outlines potential risks and benefits of participation in a clinical trial), transcripts from discussions with leading cancer researchers, a glossary, and insurance information. You can also search the Coalition’s database of cancer clinical trials, called TrialCheck.

TrialCheck is a searchable database of more than 4000 clinical trials. You do not have to register to use this search tool. The results of TrialCheck are based on your answers to eleven simple questions and indicate which trials you may be eligible for. You can then click on the corresponding link for each clinical trial to get more information; in most cases this includes the protocol abstract, eligibility requirements, and patient-friendly summaries. These are pdf files, which you can download if you have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. If you do not have this program, you can download it for free from the Internet.

The TrialCheck database contains the active clinical trials of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), Gynecologic Oncology Group, North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG), National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). Trials from the NCI physician data query (PDQ), and selected pharmaceutical companies are also featured in TrialCheck. Clinical trials results are grouped into four categories: treatment, supportive care, prevention, and all other trials.

TrialCheck allows you to save your search results, if you like, and return to them whenever you choose. You also can receive e-mail updates whenever a new cancer clinical trial has been added to your search results.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about colon cancer and rectal cancer. This includes risk factors of the diseases, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options. You can find information about factors that affect recovery, as well as results of colon and rectal cancer clinical trials. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can also search for information about clinical trials involving patients with colon or rectal cancer. Information is also available in Spanish.

There is also a helpful online booklet What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Colon and Rectum which you can page through to learn about bladder cancer symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and questions to ask the doctor. Words that may be unfamiliar appear in italics. Definitions of these and other terms related to cancer can be found in the NCI Dictionary.

The CureSearch Web site offers valuable information about childhood cancers. Parents with a child who is newly diagnosed may find the overviews of the different types of childhood cancers especially helpful. These overviews are customized by cancer type and age group, and include information about causes, symptoms, and factors that affect the chances of a cure. Cancer specialists or nurses have written most of the overviews.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about endometrial cancer. This includes risk factors, prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options. You can find treatment options by stage of disease. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can also search for clinical trials involving patients with endometrial cancer. Information is also available in Spanish.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about extrahepatic bile duct cancer. This includes risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options, as well as factors that affect recovery. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can also search to find clinical trials that involve patients with bile duct cancer. Information is also available in Spanish.

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons is comprised of members from 30 medical professional organizations who set guidelines for cancer diagnosis and care. CoC approval is given only to those facilities that have committed to providing the best in cancer diagnosis and treatment. The American College of Surgeons designated more than 1,400 programs in the United States as Approved Cancer Programs, representing approximately 25 percent of hospitals in the United States. The Hospital Locator can assist patients with such matters as finding a nearby hospital approved by the Commission on Cancer, what specific diagnostic tests and/or types of treatment they provide, which CoC-approved hospitals offer cancer screenings, prevention programs, assistance with travel, pain control services, and more.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about gallbladder cancer. This includes risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options, as well as factors that affect recovery. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can also search to find clinical trials that involve patients with gallbladder cancer. Information is also available in Spanish.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about gestational trophoblastic tumors. This includes an overview of this rare disease, its diagnosis, and treatment options. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can search for clinical trials involving patients with gestational trophoblastic tumors. Information is also available in Spanish.

Gilda’s Club provides opportunities for people living with cancer to build social and emotional support networks through support groups, lectures, workshops, and social events in nonresidential, homelike settings called clubhouses. Gilda’s Club currently serves more than 50,000 members in 21 cities with 30 clubhouses across North America. The Gilda’s Club Web site provides information about how to become a member. Membership is free. There is a clickable map of the United States that shows club locations. There is also a Resource Directory that includes a selective number of links to sites that are national or international in scope and contain useful and responsibly written information. Those interested in membership can call 888-GILDA-4-U.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about head and neck cancers, including laryngeal, lip and oral cavity, and oropharyngeal cancers. There is information about risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options, as well as results of important head and neck cancer clinical trials. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can also search to find clinical trials involving patients with head and neck cancer. Information is also available in Spanish.

Infertility is a side effect of some cancers in men and some cancer treatments for both men and women. For young cancer patients, it can be especially devastating to confront the risks of infertility at the same time as undergoing lifesaving cancer treatment. The Fertile Hope Foundation provides reproductive information, support, and hope to cancer patients whose treatments may result in infertility. The organization’s Web site includes an overview of cancer treatments that increase the risk of infertility as well as preservation options before, during, and after treatment. The site offers risk calculators, for men and women, based on a compilation of clinical experience and published research on common cancer treatments that may impact reproductive function. Fertile Hope also offers discounted sperm banking and egg and embryo freezing for patients who want to preserve their fertility prior to beginning cancer treatment.

Here you will find information about multiple myeloma and its treatment. If you have questions about treatment or support, you can call the Foundation’s toll-free hotline at 800-452-2873 or contact the Foundation via e-mail. The site includes information about newly approved drugs to treat multiple myeloma, as well as drugs being evaluated in clinical trials. You can also find support group information and survivors’ stories, with some available as Web casts (video and audio programs you watch or listen to on your computer). The site indicates when treatment information was last updated. Information can be downloaded from this site in 15 different languages.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is an independent, nationally recognized organization that accredits hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare organizations to help ensure they meet established healthcare standards.

Strengths: Knowing whether a cancer treatment facility is accredited is an indicator of the quality of care you may receive and a facility’s safety record. The JCAHO Web site is the source of that information.

The Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) is a charitable organization made up of patients, caregivers, physicians, researchers, and other health professionals. The KCA partners with the National Cancer Institute and American Society for Clinical Oncology on research projects. This site, which can be translated to 24 different languages, provides basic statistics about kidney cancer, its diagnosis, and treatment. You can read survivor stories, watch videos, and listen to their official podcasts (digital audio recordings that you can listen to on your computer, and/or download to a mobile device).

It also features the KCA online forum, a Web community with over 1,500 members where you can trade information with other kidney cancer patients and caregivers. To access the forum, you will first need to create an account, which requires you to supply your email address, first and last name, city, state, and phone number.

By creating a separate, free account with Emerging Med, you can also search for clinical trials that match your personal profile using KCA’s confidential Clinical Trial Matching Service. This service also includes a toll-free number, 800-501-5219, that connects you to a Clinical Trial Specialist.

KCA’s Nurse Hotline, which may be accessed by calling 503-215-7921, answers questions about the treatment of kidney cancer and provides referrals to kidney cancer specialists in the United States.

The North American Spine Society's patient Web site — knowyourback.org — includes certain information regarding spinal tumors, such as symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and long-term implications. In addition, you will find articles about spine fitness, including strengthening and flexibility tips, and a glossary of terms relating to spine conditions. Their Spine Care Provider Search allows you to search for spine care professionals by geographic area and specialty, to help you locate a provider in your area.

Survival rates for young adults with cancer have not improved as rapidly as rates for children or older adults. Through the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the LIVESTRONG^TM Young Adult Alliance is committed to improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults living with cancer. The Alliance works to promote research and improve the delivery of patient care. It also serves as an advocacy group to generate awareness of the issue and is a voice for young adults with cancer.

In collaboration with the LIVESTRONG^TM Young Adult Alliance, the National Cancer Institute established a Progress Review Group, made up of a panel of experts, to review the state of science for the treatment of young adults with cancer, and develop a national agenda for adolescent/young adult oncology.

If you are interested in learning more about the Young Adult Alliance, you can fill out an online information form to receive periodic updates about the group's activities.

In this site’s Disease Information section, you will find information about the specific types of leukemias and lymphomas, as well as myeloma. Information includes risk factors, symptoms, and diagnosis. A separate section provides general information about treatment options for rare blood cancers, such as myelodysplastic syndrome and myeloproliferative disorders.

In the Patient Services section, there is information for the newly diagnosed, including a program called First Connection, which connects newly diagnosed patients, caregivers, and their families with a trained peer volunteer who can answer questions and share their experiences by phone. There is a link to the Society’s Patient Financial Aid Program, which offers financial reimbursement for some medications, transportation, and procedures for those in need. There is also a link to the Society’s Co-Pay Assistance Program, which offers financial support towards the cost of insurance co-payments for prescription drugs, if you qualify.

You can access the Society’s Live Patient Help (M-F 10:00 AM- 5:00 PM EST) or call 800-955-4572 toll free for telephone support (M-F 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM EST). There is also a state-by-state listing of Family Support Groups, online discussion groups, and recent news from Reuters Health about leukemia and lymphoma and other blood-related cancers. The site indicates when cancer information was last updated.

The site also provides a variety of free educational brochures and pamphlets, including an online booklet Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation. It describes the transplant procedure, potential complications, emotional concerns, and the recovery period. The booklet is also available in Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

This site is exclusively about gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma. Life Raft Group is an international support organization for people with GIST. Here you will find an overview of GIST and information about the genetics of this type of cancer, and its diagnosis and treatment. Treatment information includes details of the targeted cancer drug, Gleevec, as well as other drugs, such as Sutent, and drug combinations currently in clinical trials. There are FAQ’s available in 18 different languages. You can talk to an expert by calling 973-837-9092 or email questions to liferaft@liferaftgroup.org. You can also subscribe to the LRG Newsletter, and watch GIST-related Webcasts (videos that you can watch on your computer or mobile device) about recent GIST developments. There is also an international directory of GIST specialists.

This website provides practical information and support for teenagers and young adult patients. Here you can find information about cancer, survivorship, coping, and support programs.

The Look Good Feel Better program teaches cosmetic and hairstyling tips and techniques to female cancer patients to help restore their appearance and self-image during chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The program has a companion Web site that provides online help of the same nature. For men, there is a practical guide to help them deal with some of the side-effects of cancer treatment, including skin changes, hair loss, stress, and other issues.

Look Good Feel Better programs are free and can be found in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Teen programs are also available in 16 US cities, and an affiliated Teen Web site called 2bMe caters to the special interests of teens with cancers, from skin and hair to fitness and friends. You can find programs in your area using the Program Finder on the Web site, or by calling 1-800-395-LOOK. In addition, you can locate international, independently operated “sister” programs that exist in many foreign countries. The site is also available in Spanish.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about lung cancer, including risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and, treatment options, as well as results of important lung cancer clinical trials. There is information about treatment options by disease stage and factors that affect the chances of curing the disease. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can also search for clinical trials involving patients with lung cancer. Information is also available in Spanish.

This site provides information about lymphomas and their treatment. You can also call the foundation’s Lymphoma Helpline and Clinical Trials Information Service at 800-500-9976 with your questions about diagnosis and treatment, clinical trials, support, or practical and financial assistance. The foundation’s Lymphoma Support Network matches lymphoma patients (or caregivers) with volunteers who have faced a similar type of lymphoma, treatment, or challenge, allowing them to share experiences and support. In their Patient Support section, you will also find links to support groups and online message boards, booklets, fact sheets, webcasts and podcasts (video and audio programs that you watch and/or listen to on your computer or mobile device). In addition, through their Healthcare Provider Grant Program, funds are available to reimburse healthcare providers for portions of uninsured or underinsured patients’ unpaid hospital or physician bills. The site is also available in Spanish and Chinese.

The United State’s federal insurance program and drug plan information’s official Web site allows you to compare Medicare Prescription health and drug plans, find doctors, hospitals, and nursing homes in your area, search publications, find out if you are eligible for Medicare and when you can enroll, discover what Medicare covers, and plan for your long-term care needs.

There is also a long-term care planning tool, which, based on the answers to a few questions, helps you determine what long-term care services are available to you, how much you can expect to pay for long-term care, and what financing options are available to support your long-term care needs.

Medline Plus, a Web site of the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, provides a compilation of trustworthy bone marrow transplantation resources on the Web. These resources, from government agencies and health-related organizations, are authoritative and up-to-date, and together they provide a wealth of information about bone marrow and stem cell transplants. There are links to overviews about bone marrow and stem cell transplant and to sites that provide financial guidance or assistance, advice about choosing a bone marrow transplant center, explanations about how to become a bone marrow or stem cell donor, and information about potential post-transplant complications. Next to each link in parenthesis is the name of the organization that is the source of that information. Some information is available in Spanish.

This online tutorial provides information about brain tumors in a slideshow format with narration — a great tool for those newly diagnosed with the disease. The tutorial includes an overview of the brain, brain tumor symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options. You can repeat any page without having to start from the beginning. To view the tutorial, you will need Flash Player, which you can download free of charge.

MedlinePlus, a Web site of the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, provides links to a compilation of noteworthy colorectal cancer resources on the Web. Here, information is organized by subject — Overviews, Diagnosis/Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention/Screening, Clinical Trials, and Research, for example — and within each subject you will find links to other Web resources, with the source of that information in parentheses next to the link. In the News section of the site, you can find links to news articles on colorectal cancer that have been written in the past 90 days. If you scroll to the end of each news article, you will find links to related topics.

The Multimedia & Cool Tools section offers an Interactive Health Tutorial on Colon Cancer. This tutorial, similar to a slide show with sound, describes in easy-to-understand terms the causes of colon cancer, symptoms, diagnosis, staging, surgery, and other treatment options. You will need Flash Player to access the tutorial, which you can download for free from the Internet. Here, you will find several “OR-Live” videos of several different types of colorectal operations.

MedlinePlus, a Web site of the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, provides links to a compilation of noteworthy Lung Cancer Resources on the Web. Here, information is organized by subject - Overviews, Diagnosis/Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention/Screening, Rehabilitation, Clinical Trials, and Research, for example - and within each subject you will find links to other Web resources, with the source of that information in parentheses next to the link. In the News section of the site, you can find links to recent news articles on lung cancer. If you scroll to the end of each news article, you will find links to related topics.

The Overviews section offers an Interactive Health Tutorial on Lung Cancer. This tutorial, similar to a slide show with sound, describes in easy-to-understand terms the causes of lung cancer, symptoms, diagnosis, staging, surgery, and other treatment options. You will need Flash Player to access the tutorial, which you can download for free from the Internet.

MedlinePlus, a Web site of the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, provides links to a compilation of noteworthy prostrate cancer resources on the Web. Here, information is organized by subject - Overviews, Diagnosis/Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention/Screening, Rehabilitation, Clinical Trials, and Research, for example - and within each subject you will find links to other Web resources, with the source of that information in parentheses next to the link. In the Latest News section, you can find links to news articles on prostate cancer that have been written in the past 30 days. If you scroll to the end of each news article, you will find links to related topics.

The Multimedia & Cool Tools section offers interactive tutorials — one on prostate cancer, and another specifically about radiation for prostate cancer — in both English and Spanish. The tutorials, similar to slide shows with sound, describe in easy-to-understand terms the causes of prostate cancer, symptoms, diagnosis, staging, surgery, radiation therapy, and other treatment options. You will need Flash Player to access the tutorials, which you can download for free.

MedlinePlus, a Web site of the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, offers Interactive Health Tutorials — similar to interactive slide shows with sound — about procedures used to diagnose cancer, such as MRIs, CT scans, ultrasound, and mammograms. Look in the “Tests and Diagnostic Procedures” section to find them. The tutorials explain the procedures in language that is easy-to-understand, citing their potential risks as well. There are also tutorials on brain, breast, colon, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancer, as well as on leukemia, melanoma, and multiple myeloma.

Founded in 2003 by a melanoma survivor, the Melanoma International Foundation aims to bring hope to melanoma patients through support, early detection, education, and advocacy. Their Web site contains a wealth of up-to-date information on melanoma prevention, detection, and treatment, and is reviewed by melanoma experts from their Scientific Advisory Board comprised of physicians from centers of excellence for treating melanoma.

In the Melanoma Info section, you will find a “Pictorial Atlas,” which contains pictures of different types of melanoma. You will also find a two-minute video to learn how to examine your skin, a glossary of melanoma-related terms, and useful advice for the newly diagnosed, such as information about the terms used in your pathology report.

In the Resources section, you will also find a list of NCI-approved comprehensive cancer centers, information on clinical trials, and links to additional melanoma resources online.

A comprehensive online resource center with information about detection, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of mesothelioma from the National Cancer Institute. Information is also available in Spanish.

This site offers a helpful booklet called 100 Questions & Answers About Myelodysplastic Syndromes, which you can request by calling 1-800-MDS-0839. In their Patient Information section, there is also information about new treatments, including arsenic trioxide, and in the MDS Centers of Excellence section, you will find an international list of medical centers that are well known for treating myelodysplastic syndromes. You can also download an MDS Educational Resources Order Form to request a number of other patient publications, including Understanding MDS: A Patient Handbook and Transfusion-Dependent Iron Overload and MDS: A Handbook for Patients, each available in 16 languages. There is contact information for a patient liaison, but it’s not clear what services this liaison can provide.

This site offers information about brain tumors, including how they are diagnosed and treated. Newly diagnosed patients and their loved ones can find support from others who are living with brain tumors through the Society’s Patient and Caregiver Support Networks. These two online networks list patients and caregivers by tumor type and age, and each entry includes the contact’s first name, information about the treatment they have received, and other relevant information. (This information is provided by patients and their caregivers.) You can send them a message through the Web site and, by supplying your e-mail address, you can receive replies. The site also lists local support groups by zip code and state, and offers message boards so brain tumor patients, survivors, family members, and caregivers can exchange ideas about treatment and offer emotional support, however you must register with the site first to use them.

This Q&A from the National Cancer Institute provides helpful answers to basic questions about bone marrow and stem cell transplants and their role in cancer treatment. Questions range from what are transplants and why are they used to treat cancer, to how donor cells are matched and how marrow is harvested for transplant. There also is information about the potential risks and complications associated with transplants. This Q&A is an excellent, concise source of information for those considering a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) provides comprehensive treatment information for more than 25 different childhood cancers, including those that are extremely rare.

This information from the National Cancer Institute includes a Q&A on complementary and alternative medicine and descriptions of herbal and other alternative medicines. While this list is not extensive, each medicine listed includes a short overview that is cross-referenced with the more detailed Q&A section, including glossary definitions in pop-up windows for underlined words. There is also information about preclinical and clinical studies of each alternative medicine and adverse effects of these medicines. The summaries are provided in two formats — for patients and for health professionals. The health professional version includes a Levels of Evidence section that indicates its proven effectiveness in humans. You can also find links to other US government resources for complementary and alternative therapies.

The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Web site includes peer-reviewed summaries from NCI’s comprehensive cancer database (PDQ) about managing cancer-related side effects and complications, including fatigue, pain, sleep disorders, nausea, and vomiting. The information in the summaries is based on new research advances, and it is reviewed regularly by editorial boards comprised of cancer specialists. The date on each summary indicates the dates it was posted, and last updated. The summaries are available in two formats — for patients and for health professionals. (Many of the summaries are also available in Spanish.) You may want to begin with the patient version, but the health professional version is more comprehensive and suitable for those more familiar with cancer. The health professional version also refers to key citations in the medical literature that link to published medical journal abstracts.

The National Cancer Institute’s Web site offers detailed information about emotional concerns related to cancer diagnosis and treatment, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and issues of spirituality.

The National Cancer Institute’s fact sheet, How to Find a Doctor or Treatment Facility if You Have Cancer, offers helpful suggestions for finding: 1) an oncologist (a doctor who treats cancer), 2) a facility where cancer patients can receive treatment, and 3) a second opinion. Included is a list of questions to help you decide whether a particular doctor is appropriate for your needs. If you will need surgery, there is a list of questions to ask the surgeons you are considering for your care. A separate list of questions can help you evaluate which treatment facilities are best suited to your needs. There are resources for finding a treatment facility if you live overseas, as well as information and resources about how to get a second opinion about your diagnosis and treatment plan.

Live, one-on-one, secure online help with answers to your questions about cancer or about the National Cancer Institute’s Web site is available Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM, eastern time. LiveHelp connects you anonymously with information specialists who you chat with by typing on the computer. The LiveHelp specialists are not healthcare providers and they do not provide medical advice. But they do provide answers to general questions about cancer and its treatment, and they are very familiar with the broad range of cancer information available at the NCI. There is also a LiveHelp specifically for smoking cessation. Through LiveHelp you can also order free cancer publications or find out about clinical trials. Cancer information is available by phone through the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service at 800-4-CANCER (800-422-6237). You can call Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM local time to talk with a cancer information specialist.

Information about treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and vaccine therapy.

Dozens of Web sites now exist to help people with cancer or other diseases more easily locate and be matched with clinical trials. But how do you know which are reputable? This section of the National Cancer Institute Web site is devoted to helping you evaluate them. The National Cancer Institute has developed a list of questions that you may want to consider when you visit clinical trials Web sites, pertaining to the different types of clinical trials, who sponsors them, participant protection, eligibility criteria, risks/benefits, insurance and payment information, and informed consent. Answering these questions can help you understand the possible biases and limitations of clinical trials information provided by particular Web sites.

Cancer and its treatment often have an impact on patients’ sexuality, affecting both their sexual desire and, in some cases, sexual function. In some patients, sexual problems may be temporary, while in others their effects can be long-lasting. The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Web site provides peer-reviewed summaries of information about the sexual-related side effects of cancer treatment. Here, you will find information about some of the common sexual changes that occur during and after cancer treatment, including surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. You can also learn about how sexual problems are assessed and treated in cancer patients, as well as how cancer treatment may affect fertility. These summaries are available in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and in Spanish. You may want to begin with the patient version, but the version for health professionals is more comprehensive and suited for someone who is familiar with cancer. This version also refers to key citations in the medical literature that link to published medical journal abstracts.

Many life science teachers and medical professionals, as well as patients, find that they want more information about new technology and the science behind cancer. The NCI Web site provides easy-to-understand tutorials that can help you learn more about the disease and the advances in technology that are affecting the diagnosis and treatment. You can choose from the following tutorials:

• Cancer
• Understanding the Immune System
• Understanding Cancer Genomics
• Understanding Molecular Diagnostics
• Understanding Angiogenesis
• Understanding Estrogen Receptor/SERMS
• Understanding Genetic Variation (SNPs)
• Understanding Gene Testing
• Understanding Cancer Genome Project
• Understanding Nanodevices
• Cancer and the Environment
• Blood Stem Cell Transplants
• HPV Vaccine

The tutorials are presented in a slide-show format, and you can click through the slides at your own pace. Each tutorial is available in both PDF and PowerPoint formats that may be downloaded from the Web free of charge. Additionally, for each topic, there is a clickable index of slide numbers and titles, enabling you to view only the slides that are of interest to you. Tutorials are also available in Spanish.

Here you will find information about cervical cancer, its diagnosis, and treatment. There is a helpful Q&A about Pap tests, including what happens if Pap test results are abnormal. Through the National Cervical Cancer Coalition’s Phone Pals and E-mail Pals Program, cervical cancer patients are matched with cervical cancer survivors who have experienced similar circumstances, such as similar disease type or treatment regimens, and who can offer support and encouragement. You can also read stories written by survivors. The site also offers general information in Spanish.

Get help dealing with cancer, order cancer resources for your patients, and find out what NCCS is doing to advocate for quality cancer care for all Americans.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s patient summaries for breast cancer are designed to help you understand your disease and inform you of the best treatments available at leading cancer centers throughout the United States.

You can search for treatment summaries by keyword or category. Categories are grouped by stage (extent or severity) of cancer diagnosis. Summaries include information such as background, diagnosis, tumor stage, treatment and prognosis. Treatment options are clearly grouped into categories such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy.

You will also find information on breast reconstruction following mastectomy, as well as a link to a Guide to Clinical Trials. Also helpful is the breast cancer checklist, which prompts you to remember key points such as getting second opinions, understanding the order in which treatments will be given, how to manage side effects, and whether or not you will be able to work during your treatments.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s patient summaries for colon and rectal cancer are designed to help you understand your disease and inform you of the best treatments available at leading cancer centers throughout the United States.

You can search for treatment summaries by keyword or category. Categories are grouped by stage (extent or severity) of cancer diagnosis. Each summary includes information such as background, diagnosis, tumor stage, treatment and prognosis. Treatment options are clearly grouped into categories such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, chemoradiation (a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy), and targeted therapy.

You will also find a Guide to Clinical Trials, and a colon and rectal cancer checklist, which prompts you to remember key points such as getting second opinions, understanding the order in which treatments will be given, how to manage side effects, and whether or not you will be able to work during your treatments.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s patient summaries for lung cancer are designed to help you understand your disease and inform you of the best treatments available at leading cancer centers throughout the United States.

You can search for treatment summaries by keyword or category. Categories are grouped by stage (extent or severity) of cancer diagnosis. Each summary includes information such as background, diagnosis, tumor stage, treatment and prognosis. Treatment options are clearly grouped into categories such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

You will also find a Guide to Clinical Trials, and a lung cancer checklist, which prompts you to remember key points such as getting second opinions, understanding the order in which treatments will be given, how to manage side effects, and whether or not you will be able to work during your treatments.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s patient summaries for prostate cancer are designed to help you understand your disease and inform you of the best treatments available at leading cancer centers throughout the United States.

You can search for treatment summaries by keyword or category. Prostate categories are grouped into those for localized and advanced cancers. Each summary includes information such as background, diagnosis, tumor stage, treatment and prognosis. Treatment options are clearly grouped into categories such as active monitoring, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, external beam radiation therapy, brachytherapy, and surgery.

You will also find a Guide to Clinical Trials, and a prostate cancer checklist, which prompts you to remember key points such as getting second opinions, understanding the order in which treatments will be given, how to manage side effects, and whether or not you will be able to work during your treatments.

National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) educates and helps support the more than 50 million Americans who care for loved ones with a chronic illness or disability. Start with the Family Caregiving 101 section, where you can read Top10 questions, or find resources listed by the stage of caregiving you are in. You can join the FamilyCaregiving 101 Message Boards to ask questions of other caregivers; you must first submit an anonymous user name and valid e-mail address.

In the “Connecting Caregivers” section, the NFCA Story Project section you can share your own stories, read other family caregiving experiences, and search for Pen Pals, caregivers who wish to connect directly with other caregivers. NFCA also offers information ranging from national educational campaigns to tips and guides for family caregivers. These resources are available free of charge. You can also sign-up to become a member of the Family Caregiver Community, free of charge, to receive print and e-newsletters and access an online library of caregiving resources.

This National Institute of Health site is tailored specifically to the senior population, with large, easy to read text, and controls that allow users to increase/decrease the font size and screen contrast, and even select to have the text read aloud.

The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) is committed to raising awareness of ovarian cancer in communities across the country and to providing education, support and hope for women with ovarian cancer and their families. In the site’s “Medical” section, you will find an overview of ovarian cancer, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options. In addition, there is a link to help you find a gynecological oncologist (note: this link takes you to another Web site, the Women’s Cancer Network), and a robust list of frequently asked questions, organized into categories such as disease assessment, quality-of-life issues, side effect management, and treatment options.You can also complete a form to be sent a newly diagnosed patient kit, read survivor stories, find caregiving resources, and learn about clinical trials.

Wilms Tumor is the most common type of kidney cancer among children. The National Wilms Tumor Study (NWTS) Web site is designed to support and inform survivors of this disease. The National Wilms Tumor Study Group was established in 1969 and during the course of five clinical trials, tumor mortality rates were cut in half.

Today the focus of the NWTS is on their Late Effects Study, the long term follow-up of survivors from the five clinical trials, and of their offspring. Its primary mission is to chart their mortality rates in comparison to those of the general population and to identify the particular treatments and biological risk factors that predispose survivors to late effects.

If you were diagnosed with Wilms tumor after September of 1969, you might have been enrolled on one of NWTS clinical trials and now be eligible for the Late Effects Study. If you would like to find out, you will find contact information on this Web site.

If you diagnosed before October of 1969 or after 2002, or were diagnosed within this period but not enrolled, NWTS still encourages you to contact them, as they aim to remain a resource for all Wilms Tumor patients by answering questions, sending copies of their newsletters, and using their resources to put you in contact with medical and counseling providers.

NeedyMeds is a resource clearinghouse for people who need help with the cost of medicine and other healthcare expenses. On this site you can search for assistance programs by disease, and cancer patients are able to find programs that provide assistance targeted specifically to their type of cancer. These assistance programs help pay for medical expenses including: medications, copayments, insurance premiums, and other out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Patients and/or their caregivers can download applications for each of the programs they wish to apply for, and a link to the program’s Web site is provided as well.

This National Institute of Health site is tailored specifically to the senior population, with large, easy to read text, and controls that allow users to increase/decrease font size and screen contrast, and even select to have the text read aloud. The section on colorectal cancer contains chapters on Causes and Risk Factors, Testing and Diagnosis, Treatment and Research, and approximately 25 Frequently Asked Questions. Each section is divided into easily navigable pages. The site also clearly displays the date the information was last reviewed and first published and a link to MedLinePlus for additional information on the disease.

This National Institute of Health site is tailored specifically to the senior population with large, easy to read text, and controls that allow users to increase/decrease font size and screen contrast, and even select to have the text read aloud. The section on lung cancer contains chapters on Causes and Risk Factors, Testing and Diagnosis, Treatment and Research, and approximately 25 Frequently Asked Questions. Each section is divided into easily navigable pages. The site also clearly displays the date the information was last reviewed and first published and a link to MedLinePlus for additional information on the disease.

Here you will find comprehensive information from the National Cancer Institute about non-Hodgkin lymphoma for both adults and children. There is information about risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, including treatment options by stage of disease. You can also read about factors that affect the chance of recovery, as well as results of recent non-Hodgkin lymphoma clinical trials. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can search to find clinical trials involving patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Information is also available in Spanish.

This Web site provides information on the risk factors, occurrence, treatment, and prevention of oral (mouth, tongue, and throat) cancer, as well as information about support and resources for patients and their families. In the “Oral cancer in the news” section, you can subscribe to an RSS feed to receive regular notification of the most current oral cancer stories. The site clearly describes how to subscribe to the feeds, or alternatively, you may choose to browse a list of the most recent oral cancer news, organized by date and title. The Web site also hosts forums for patients and survivors of oral cancers. Registration is necessary to join a forum, but you can access archived forums on topics such as symptoms and diagnosis, coping, and medications and treatment without registering. Finally, in the Multimedia section, you can download an informative video titled “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Mouth Cancer (but were afraid to ask)”. Presented by the British Dental Health Foundation and OralCDx, this patient-oriented presentation covers all the basics of early discovery and diagnosis. A high speed connection is recommended to view the approximately five-minute long Quicktime movie.

Here you will find information from the National Cancer Institute about Paget Disease, an uncommon type of cancer that forms in or around the nipple. This information is presented in a question/answer format, and covers risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. There are also links to related web pages, fact sheets, and information regarding clinical trials.

A nonprofit organization focused entirely on pancreatic cancer, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) offers a patient program called PALS (Patient and Liaison Services), which assigns patients trained staff members who provide them with the most current information available to help make informed decisions — including information about the disease, treatment options, specialists, clinical trials, support groups, diet, and nutrition. Similar information can be found on their site in the Patient Services/Pancreatic Cancer section. Here, you can also find dates and locations of upcoming events, such as pancreatic cancer survivor symposiums, and slideshow presentations from previous events. Free educational packets, in English or in Spanish, can be requested, or your questions may be submitted and answered via e-mail.

PanCAN also offers a volunteer Survivor and Caregiver network, and will put you in touch with one of their volunteers upon request. In the Patient Service/News Releases section, there is an excellent repository arranged in reverse chronological order of the latest pancreatic news accumulated from a variety of authoritative sources, such as the National Cancer Institute and American Association for Cancer Research. You may also search these articles by topic, such as Risk Factors, Treatments, and Prevention.

This site provides FAQs about pancreatic cancer, its diagnosis, and treatment. The organization also offers a free Cancer Information and Counseling Line — 800-525-3777 — Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM US Mountain Time. This service is available to all who are affected by pancreatic cancer and is provided in collaboration with the University of Colorado Cancer Center. There are also selected abstracts of recently published advances in pancreatic cancer research. These abstracts may be difficult for those without a medical background to fully understand. You can also search to find clinical trials around the world evaluating new therapies for pancreatic cancer.

The Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that serves as liaison between patients and their insurers, employers and/or creditors to resolve insurance, job retention, or debt crisis matters related to their illness.

Strengths: Cancer patients who are having problems getting medical care or approval from their insurance companies to pay for certain procedures or tests may look to the foundation for help. This organization can help patients navigate health care and insurance issues, as well as other job-related and financial issues.

The Patient Advocate Foundation’s Co-Pay Relief (CPR) Program provides direct co-payment assistance for prescriptions to insured Americans who financially and medically qualify. The Foundation also offers personal services to all patients in the program through its call counselors. These counselors personally guide patients through the simple enrollment process by collecting financial and medical information. Once eligibility has been determined, you will need to complete a more detailed application. Patients who qualify for the program will be assigned their own call counselor who will be available to answer any questions during the process. To see if you qualify for this program, call toll-free 866-512-3861, or submit the short form on the Contact Us page. Information is also available in Spanish.

This site provides general information about pituitary disorders, including tumors. There is a comprehensive list of FAQs about the pituitary gland and tumors, including information on diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. You can also find information about specific types of pituitary tumors, a list of clinical trials, and an online discussion group — the PNA Forum — where you can register to interact with other pituitary patients, however this forum is available to paying members only.

Planet Cancer recognizes the need for community among teen and young adult cancer patients. Here you can find support groups, information for maintaining normalcy in life, and many additional resources.

Here you will find a prostate cancer overview, with information about risk factors, screening, diagnosis, treatment options, side effects, questions to ask your doctor, FAQs, and a glossary of key terms. There is also detailed information about how nutrition and lifestyle can affect the risk of prostate cancer and the management of the disease, including links to two versions of “The Taste for Living” Cookbook, which contains recipes formulated to help fight prostate cancer. The site also includes personal stories from prostate cancer patients, and a variety of publications, including NewsPulse, a monthly publication that culls online news headlines about prostate cancer, and three self-produced prostate cancer guides that can either be ordered or downloaded free of charge.

PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine created by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, allows you to search published biomedical literature to retrieve citations and abstracts of published, peer-reviewed medical research.

Many cancer patients are interested in finding the latest published research about their particular type of cancer and its treatment, or in reviewing the research published by their doctors. PubMed, which includes millions of citations for biomedical research articles dating back to the 1950s, allows you to search its database by author name, topic, or by journal name to find peer-reviewed citations and abstracts of published research. You can also use their Advanced Search to limit results by date, language, type of article, gender, age, and several other factors. PubMed also includes links to many journal sites that provide full-text articles.

Searching PubMed can be overwhelming because of the sheer number of citations it retrieves. While you can view the most current publications first, you will probably have to weed through a lot of basic research to find the clinical information you are searching for. Therefore, it is worthwhile to spend at least 15 to 20 minutes working through PubMed’s online tutorial or one or more of the animated “Quick Tours” with audio. Each Quick Tour tutorial indicates how long it is, and generally, they all take under five minutes. They will save you a lot of frustration and help you build an effective search strategy.

PubMed uses several databases, but primarily MEDLINE, which covers journal articles in the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, healthcare, and other areas of the life sciences. MEDLINE uses MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), a controlled vocabulary of search terms. MeSH provides uniformity and consistency to the indexing of biomedical literature, but if you don’t know how to use MeSH to create a search, you will undoubtedly retrieve citations that are not useful to you. The “Searching with the MeSH Database” Quick Tour can help you become familiar with MeSH terms and show you how to find them. The site also has FAQs to help assist you.

Finally, you can also register on the site for a MyNCBI account, which generally offers a more robust and customizable search experience, by allowing you to save and categorize your searches, set up automatic updates, store collections of citations, and set advanced filters. There are Quick Tour tutorials that can assist you with this as well.

The Sarcoma Alliance’s mission is to offer guidance, education and support to sarcoma patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved ones. Here you will find an overview of sarcoma, including descriptions of the various subtypes of the disease. There are also links to information about pediatric sarcomas and a list of centers that are well-known for treating both pediatric and adult sarcoma patients. The site includes an online discussion board, as well as the Peer to Peer Network, which matches patients, caregivers, and survivors with other members of the network so that they can communicate directly with each other, under terms agreed upon by both. The Alliances’ Hand in Hand program provides financial help to patients interested in seeking a second opinion about their diagnosis and treatment. This financial assistance must be used to reimburse expenses related to travel, phone bills, costs of the evaluation, and related charges.

This site provides basic information about the prevention, detection, and treatment of skin cancer, including melanoma, as well as tips for coping with skin cancer. A helpful guide shows what to look for while performing a self-examination. You can also search to find a physician who specializes in treating skin cancer and/or melanoma and locate a treatment center close to you.

Here you will find information from the National Cancer Institute about soft tissue sarcomas, with separate sections devoted to adult and pediatric sarcomas. There is a brief explanation of the stages of disease and limited treatment information. Information is presented in two formats — for patients and for health professionals — and the site indicates when information was last updated. You can also search to find clinical trials involving patients with soft tissue sarcoma. Information is also available in Spanish.

A comprehensive online resource center with information about detection, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of stomach cancer from the National Cancer Institute. Information is also available in Spanish.

This site, established by a survivor of oral cancer, provides links to support groups for people living with head and neck cancer. There is also an archive of teleconferences that have addressed head and neck cancer topics, such as new treatments, clinical trials, and living with the disease. Participants in these teleconferences include well known doctors and specialists who treat head and neck cancer patients. To listen to these teleconference workshops, you will need Real Audio’s RealPlayer, which can be downloaded from the internet free of charge. You can also find help if you are interested in starting a new support group for head and neck cancer patients and survivors.

Note: Links to products of this Web site’s sponsors can be found throughout the site.

This website provides answers to common questions about side effects and care, support for maintaining life outside of cancer, and other forms of support.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society holds a weekly chat group, discussion board, informational/educational webcasts, and other programs for teenagers and young adults.

An online resource for central nervous system imaging which integrates clinical information with MRI, CT, and nuclear medicine images. The Atlas project is made possible in part by the Departments of Radiology and Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, the Countway Library of Medicine, and the American Academy of Neurology.

Here you will find information about the specific types of thyroid cancer, their diagnosis, and treatment. For newly diagnosed patients, there is a list of questions that you may want to ask your doctor about the type of thyroid cancer that you have. There’s also information about face-to-face and e-mail support groups as well as the ThyCa Person-to-Person Network. The network matches people with thyroid cancer as closely as possible with volunteers who have experience with the same form of cancer. These volunteers answer questions based on their own experiences and offer insights on how they have coped with thyroid cancer. This site also offers links to the “Low Iodine Cookbook,” in English and Spanish, which contains hundreds of recipes to get you through the period of time in which you may be required to eat a low iodine diet as a result of your treatment. To read the cookbooks, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded on the Web free of charge.

Us Too provides education and support groups to help men with prostate cancer make decisions about their treatment. Its Web site provides treatment information, including summaries of various treatment options along with the advantages and disadvantages of each. There are also links to clinical trials information and to support groups in the US and worldwide, along with contact information. The Us Too Prostate Cancer Education & Support Hot Sheets include summaries of new research findings related to prostate cancer. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download the Hot Sheets. If you don’t have the program, you can download it free of charge.

You can get the latest information about cancer and cancer-related issues from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's leading doctors without venturing beyond your home. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Web site includes the CancerSmart Lectures and Educational Program for Survivors Web Casts. These community lectures, meetings and discussions are presented either to the public or to members of MSKCC's Post-Treatment Survivor Program, and were recorded so that you can view them on your computer. The videos play directly in the Web page simply by clicking a button. They are viewable on most operating systems, but if you don't see them, you may need to download the Adobe Flash Player, which is available on the Web free of charge. (Note: the older CancerSmart Web Casts from 2003 and 2004 are currently viewable only with the RealMedia Player, an application which can also be downloaded from the Web free of charge.)

In addition to general health and wellness news and information, the for-profit WebMD Web site offers cancer information, including symptoms, diagnosis, staging, and treatments for a number of the most common types of cancer. Cancer information about some cancers is provided in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic and the National Cancer Institute.

For the most common types of cancer, there are links to news articles that cover advances in diagnosis and treatment, and information about the drugs most commonly used to treat those cancers. There is also a section called Community & Resources, that contains links to blogs written by medical professionals, and message boards where one can communicate with their peers, and/or ask questions of an expert. For all the cancer overviews, there is a list of helpful Frequently Asked Questions.

While these summaries may provide helpful background information about your type of cancer, they are somewhat general in nature and may not take into account all the factors your own doctor may consider important when evaluating potential treatment options.

In general, the WebMD site indicates when its information was last updated and who reviewed the material. The news articles included within each topic are written by journalists who work for WebMD and are reviewed by WebMD physicians. There is a helpful control that allows you increase and decrease the font size, and information is well-organized.

For young adult cancer patients whose treatment has ended, the transition back to school or into a career can be difficult and, in some cases, finances can be a roadblock. The SAMFund provides grants and scholarships to young adult cancer survivors, ages 17 - 35, to help them pursue educational or professional goals and move forward with their lives after cancer. Funds can be used to help pay for education, living expenses, job searches, and medical expenses.

Many cancer patients continue to work during treatment and others return to work soon after treatment ends. Here, working women with cancer can find information and tools to help them manage their cancer and their careers. The site addresses such issues as how to tell your boss; how to balance work and treatment; what to expect from your employer; and your legal rights. Most sections of the site are also available in Spanish, by clicking the “en espanol” link in the upper right corner of the screen. (Much of the information also will be helpful to working men with cancer.) Employers and coworkers also can find information about how to support an employee with cancer, including ways to implement flexible work arrangements. Caregivers can find information about how to approach an employer about taking a medical leave or a leave of absence.

You can download Living and Working with Cancer, a free booklet that contains medical history charts, insurance logs, questions to ask doctors, and tips on combining work and treatment. This booklet is also available in Spanish. Another booklet The Most Important Resources for Working Women with Cancer, also is available for downloading. It lists the best websites, books, and cancer support services recommended by a panel of cancer survivors, doctors, lawyers, and social workers. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download these booklets. If you don't have the program, you can download it free of charge on the Web.