www.cancer.gov
Set up by the US National Institute of Health (NCI), this site, like the one by the American Cancer Society, contains broad and reliable information about all forms of cancer. What sets it apart from other websites is its huge section on the latest research and clinical trials, where you’ll find a comprehensive database of all NCI-supported research, searchable by type of cancer and by type of cancer research. You’ll also find a listing of ongoing clinical trials and trial results. In addition, this site allows you to search for cancer literature from the PubMed database.
Information found here is not only targeted for the general public and patients only but also health professionals. Scientists will be able to find detailed information on specific areas of research interest and NCI-supported funding opportunities. Among the topics covered are types of treatment, male breast cancer treatment, breast cancer and pregnancy, breast cancer prevention, genetics and risk factors as well as new imaging technologies. There’s also cancer statistics (in US only) and what these figures mean, plus you can calculate your risk of breast cancer with their assessment tool.
www.cancer.gov
www.breastcancer.org
A US site, breastcancer.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing reliable, complete and most up-to-date information about breast cancer. Founded by oncologist Dr Marisa Weiss, its mission is “to help women and their loved ones make sense of the complex medical and personal information about breast cancer, so they can make the best decisions for their lives.”
And they have done that quite well. All the information provided is easy to read, offering excellent practical information. The content often addresses common concerns that a reader may have in mind. Its section on “Research News” covers new developments in the field of breast cancer research and clinical trials. Within this section, you’ll find summaries written on new studies and best of all, each of them comes with a take-home message which is relevant to the reader and easy to understand. There’s also a section on breast cancer diagrams if you’re interested.
www.breastcancer.org
www.cancer.org
A website by the American Cancer Society, this site covers all types of cancer. Its section on breast cancer is easy to navigate and packed with useful information, and it is divided into three main topics – All About Breast Cancer, Treatment Decision Tool for Breast Cancer and Other Information Sources. Simple yet comprehensive.
Interesting sections include “Stories of Hope” and “Talking About Cancer”, which offer advice on how one copes and deals with cancer. Check out the many stories of cancer survivors can be found here, all of them equally compelling.
www.cancer.org
www.komen.org
For more than 20 years, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has been one of the forerunners in the fight against breast cancer. It supports innovative research and community-based outreach programmes. One day, it hopes to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by funding research grants and supporting education, screening and treatment projects in communities around the world.
The Komen website has a user-friendly layout, with interactive tools (such as quizzes), educational resources (which you can print out as an educational tool) and well presented information in concise and simple language. It prides itself as a source for up-to-date information on breast cancer. You’ll find the latest on diagnosis and treatment, risk factors and screening, and a host of other topics such as complementary therapies, life after treatment and quality medical care.
www.komen.org
www.breastcancercare.org.uk
As one of the leading charities for breast cancer support and information in the UK, this site is invaluable for its choices of publications, which are booklets, some over 100 pages long, on useful topics such as Breast Cancer in Young Women, Men and Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Care, and all of which are downloadable in PDF format.
There’s also an educational section on breast development, breast awareness and finding the right fit for your bra. The site clearly and carefully defines stages and types of breast cancer into various categories: Benign Breast Conditions, Non-Invasive Cancer, Invasive (primary) Cancer and Secondary Breast Cancer.
www.breastcancercare.org.uk
www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/
WebMD is a site reputed for its information on all types of diseases – combining its expertise in medicine with journalism on consumer health. This means that the health information you find on this site is always timely, reliable and yet appealing and reader-friendly. You’ll find here, for example, “10 questions to ask your doctor about breast cancer”.
This site publishes its own news on the latest in research and findings, on its WebMD Medical News pages. Other top picks include its section on Hot Topics, with articles on the latest in breast cancer treatment or detection, finding the right treatment or the link between chemicals and breast cancer. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, it’s worth checking out “Ask the Expert”, where you can ask a question or read hundreds of questions that have been answered by a doctor. A Frequently Asked Questions section provides insights from other women with breast cancer on difficult questions such as How I’m going to Look After Treatment, How do I Tell The Kids, Am I going to Make It and How Do I Deal with My Job. Well presented, practical information.
www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/
www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/
Read articles such as “The First 48 Hours: The Ten Most Important Questions to Ask Your Doctor” if you’ve been diagnosed of breast cancer on this website. Here, you’ll find a wealth of information, from its very up-to-date news on Breast Cancer research and development, to its practical guide on Managing Breast Cancer – great for valuable pointers on how to cope with breast cancer as a husband or partner, the do’s and don’ts of a breast cancer husband and more.
There are several blogs on this site by breast cancer patients and survivors who share their experience battling the disease. You can also connect with and find support from other breast cancer husbands and partners through its discussion forums.
www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/