• General Cancer Links
• Hematological Cancers
• Pharmaceuticals
• Supportive Care
• Chemosensitivity Testing
• CAM: Complementary & Alternative Medicine

• National Cancer Institute web site provides a wealth of information on individual cancers, treatments, side effects of treatment, alternative therapies and more.

• Oncolink is an excellent place to find general cancer information.

• Ron Marriage's Cancer Links is a site with many medical resources.

• Dealing with Cancer Fatigue, from the National Cancer Institute.

• TeleSCAN provides information and services for cancer research, treatment, and education from the Netherlands Cancer Institute .

• Steve Dunn's Cancer Guide :

  This excellent page offers lots of information about clinical trials. Steve is a long time survivor of kidney cancer. Some particularily noteworthy documents there are:

  • Steven J. Gould's The Median Isn't the Message .
  • Dr. Ed Uthman's The Biopsy Report: A Patient's Guide .
  • Steve Dunn's The Pros and Cons of Researching One's Own Cancer.

• CanSearch ^TM :Online Guide to Cancer Resources provides search tips and medical resources courtesy of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

• Medicine Online. Search the Medicine Online Library or the National Institute of Medicine Library.

• START Home Page State of the Art Oncology in Europe Database.

• Simon Cotterill from the Department of Child Health, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK has constructed several guides to Internet Resources. There is one for Childhood Cancer and a more general one for other cancer . He also has a Cancer Glossary .

• Cancer News on the Net, Editor: Richard K. J. Brown, M.D.

• Hematology and oncology News from P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. 's, Doctor's Guide page .

• The Foundation for Advanced Cancer Studies whose goals are: To foster the rapid dissemination of new research information to scientists, clinicians and the public and to provide support for young scientists working in basic research on cancer.

• CancerPoint, The Virtual Cancer Support Centre, a UK site.

• The Children's Oncology Group is a National Cancer Institute-sponsored clinical trials cooperative group of individuals and institutions dedicated to controlling cancer among children and adolescents.

• Cancer Care provides assistance to people with any type of cancer, at any stage of illness. All of Cancer Care's services are free of charge.

• Cancer WEB a useful site for general cancer information from the United Kingdom. Much of the information is also available from U.S. National Cancer Institute, but this site is well organized and easy to use, and may provide faster service for some people, particularily in Europe.

• National Organization for Rare Disorders. If you've been everywhere and you still haven't found your disease try this site.

• Office of Rare Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

• cancer ONLINE , is a nonprofit organization, whose web site is designed so patients have easy access to clinical information and practical support.

• The Cancer Information Center of the Mayo Clinic.

• The Mining Company Cancer page, provides links to lots of cancer information. Maintained by Barry S. Tepperman MD MBA a radiation oncologist in the Memorial Healthcare System, Hollywood, Florida, he is peer reviewer for the journal Cancer

• Canadian Cancer Surveillance On-Line provides the most current statistics on cancer incidence and mortality in Canada. You can find trends and incidence by age group, over time and by site. Surveillance du cancer au Canada en direct.

• The Texas Health Guide was created by Health Integration Technologies, Inc to help those in Texas and others search for healthcare-related resources.

• Planet Cancer focuses on young adults (in thier twenties and thirties) with cancer. Provides information on how to deal with cancer and its treatment including a healthy dose of humor.

• American Society of Hematology page has a lot of articles on various hematological topics.

• Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation (formerly The Aplastic Anemia Foundation of America) is an international non-profit organization that supports research into Aplastic Anemia, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, and other bone marrow failure and provides support for Aplastic Anemia patients and their families. The Aplastic Anemia Foundation of America, New England Region also has a web site.

• Judy Bakstran a guide to medical information and support on the Internet. Judy's husband has multiple myeloma and this site has a lot of information about where to look on the 'net for medical information, in particular for cancer.

• Mike Barela's Lymphoma Information Network (formerly Lymphoma Resource Pages). This is one of the most comprehensive sites on Lymphoma on the Net. Run by Mike Barela a Hodgkin's disese survivor.

• BloodLine the Online Hematology Resource.

• Burkitt's Lymphoma web page maintained by Ken Martin, whose brother Jeffrey Alan Martin, passed away June 11, 1999 after a 5 month battle with Burkitt's Lymphoma.

• The Cleveland Clinic Multiple Myeloma Program from the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center.

• CureHodgkins.com by Matt Terry provides information to Hodgkin's Disease patients and their families. It has stories of hope and survival from other Hodgkin's Disease survivors as well as links to many other sites haveing to do with Hodgkin's Disease.

• The Cure for Lymphoma Foundation provides information and support for those diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease or Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

• The Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, Inc., is a non-profit organization that raises funds and award grants for scientific research into Fanconi Anemia, a rare genetic disease that can progress into leukemia (AML) and is often treated with bone marrow transplants.

• The International Myeloma Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for multiple myeloma patients while working towards prevention and a cure.

• International Society of Experimental Hematology . Experimental Hematology News Online.

• CancerNet: Hodgkin's Disease a collection of links from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) on Hogdkin's Disease. It includes links to information from the various parts of NCI and the National Institutes of Health. It includes links to information on diagnosis and treatment of different types of Hodgkin's Disease, causes of Hodgkin's and statistics on its incidence. Highly recommended!!

• CancerNet: Lymphoma a collection of links from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) on Non Hogdkin's Lymphoma. It includes links to information from the various parts of NCI and the National Institutes of Health. It includes links to information on diagnosis and treatment of different types of Lymphoma, including Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, Mycosis Fungoides and the Sezary Syndrome (Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma), causes of Lymphoma and statistics on its incidence. Highly recommended!!

• CancerNet: Multiple Myeloma a collection of links from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) on Multiple Myeloma and Other Plasma Cell Neoplasms. It includes links to information from the various parts of NCI and the National Institutes of Health. It includes links to information on diagnosis and treatment of different types of Multiple Myeloma, causes and statistics on its incidence. Highly recommended!!

• Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma Center, an excellent site . It provides lots of useful information about Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The material in this Center has been excerpted or adapted from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas: Making Sense of Diagnosis, Treatment, and Options by Lorraine Johnston , copyright 1999 by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. . There are sections describing the types of Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, Symptoms and Diagnosis, Common Chemotherapies, which gives the names and abbreviation of many chemotherapy drugs and combinations and a Technical bibliography.

• Patients Against Lymphoma (PAL) strives to provide accurate information about b-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas to patients, caregivers.

• Pam Honsinger's Keepin' The Faith! page. Her husband Paul has Hodgkin's disease.

• Robert Glen Martin's Remission.org site, is a travel guide for your Hodgkin's Journey , provides information on Hodgkin's Disease and links to other web sites about Hodgkin's.

• The Lymphoma Research Foundation of America is a national non-profit organization providing funds for lymphoma research and educational information for lymphoma patients.

• Jeff Sigley's Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Web Site. Provides a lot of information on Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, treatment, diagnosis and many stories from patients.

• Lymphoma Net provides information about Lymphoma. "The information provided is not intended for residents of the USA". It is sponsored by an educational grant from F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

• The Merck Manual of Medical Information, Home Edition.

• The FDA page allows keyword search by a medications including chemotherapy drugs generic name, trade name, or class to provide basic information on approved uses and side effects. Also information about newly approved treatment substances.

• Rxlist provides consumer information on thousands of medications.

• The ChemFinder Web page. A searchable database for many many chemicals including chemotherapy agents. Enter a drug name, e.g. Cytoxan and it will give you the chemical structure, but more important lots of links to other information about the drug.

• South African Electronic Package InsertsThis site makes the package inserts for South African medicines available to the public in electronic format. The package inserts are indexed in three different ways; by Generic Name, Trade Name and Pharmacological Classification. Although this is for South Africa, this information may be useful for people in other countries.

• South African Medicines Formulary, 3rd edition (Electronic Edition October 1995), Produced by: the Department of Pharmacology Medical School, University of Cape Town. This is also a listing for South African medicines, but people in other countries may find it useful. This site is provided as a service for health care professionals and teachers, especially in remote areas in developing countries.

• Anti-rejection drugs, a discussion on drugs used to prevent rejection in solid organ transplants and also graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) in bone marrow transplant patients, from the Multi-Organ Transplant Program of the London Health Sciences Centre, Ontario, Canada.

• Transplant Medications, information on drugs used to prevent rejection in solid organ transplants and also graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) in bone marrow transplant patients, from TransWeb, of the University of Michigan.

• Chemotherapy Drugs from Chemo Care. Have you ever heard some acronym in reference to a particular chemotherapy regimen? Every wonder what drugs are in it? This database of chemotherapy drugs and chemotherapy combination should help you out. It tells you what drugs are in the combination as well as information on the specific drugs. Chemo Care is a program of the Scott Hamilton CARES Initiative (the Cancer Alliance for Research Education and Survivorship) and the Cleveland Clinic.
  

New Pharmaceutical Products

Thrombopoetin (Platelet Stimulating Hormone)

• Effects of Polyethylene Glycol-Conjugated Recombinant Human Megakaryocyte Growth and Development Factor on Platelet Counts after Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer from the New England Journal of Medicine Volume 336, Number 6, February 6, 1997 and Thrombopoietin -- Clinically Realized? accompanying editorial (in its entirety).

Gleevec® (Imatinib Mesylate)

• Gleevec information from Novartis, the manufactor of Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate), includes a information on CML, a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section and a glossary.

• Guideline for Prevention of Intravascular Device-Related Infections (218 K) , by Michele L. Pearson, MD; The Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee Membership List, April 1995. From the Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

• Cancer Supportive Care, based on the book Cancer Supportive Care: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Their Families by Ernest H. Rosenbaum, and Isadora R. Rosenbaum. This site contains extensive information about many supportive care for cancer patients, including treating anemia, pain control, exercise and much more.

Chemosensitivity testing, also called Cell Culture Drug Resistance Testing involves testing cancer cells from individual patient in the laboratory for sensitivity to various chemotherapy agents. It is not really an alternative treatment, but it is not well accepted by many doctors either.

Articles on Chemosensitivity Testing

• Human Tumor Assay Journal edited by Larry M. Weisenthal, MD, PhD one of the leaders in the field. There are a number of articles on cell culture drug resistance testing (CCDRT, "chemosensitivity testing"), both scientific articles as well as news articles.

• Pretesting Tumors: Long derided, test-tube screening for cancer-drug sensitivity slowly gains acceptance, from Scientic American, February, 1999.
  

Companies providing Chemosensitivity Testing

• Oncotech is a cancer testing laboratory that provides physicians with information on the unique characteristics of a patient's cancer cells. It identifies ineffective chemotherapy agents, to assist in treatment planning.

• Rational Therapeutics, Cancer Evaluation Center a company that does chemosensitivity testing in California. Robert A. Nagourney, M.D.

We feel that alternative or unconventional therapies should be investigated further, and, therefore, we do not recommend any of them. The problem with most unconventional therapies is that there is little or no scientific evidence to support them. Unfortunately, what little study has been done either by the proponents of the therapy or by others seems to be of poor quality. Therefore, before you consider using any of these, please investigate them thoroughly and with your eyes wide open.

Before looking into alternative therapies you may want to read the following articles on evaluating information on the Internet.

• Steve Dunn's Cancerguide contains lots of useful information about Alternative Therapies .

• Evaluating Internet Research Sources, by Robert Harris, a retired Professor English and full time writer. This is an excellent article on how to critically examine information on web sites.

• Alternative Medicine -- The Risks of Untested and Unregulated Remedies, an editorial from The New England Journal of Medicine, by Marcia Angell and Jerome P. Kassirer from the September 17, 1998 issue (Volume 339, Number 12). Alternative Medicine -- The Case of Herbal Remedies, follow-up correspondence to this editorial from the New England Journal of Medicine, February 18, 1999 (Volume 340, Number 7).
  

• The Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center (RHRC) for Complementary and Alternative Medicine part of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the Columbia-Presbyterian College of Physicians & Surgeons. The Rosental Center are fosters and conducts research to determine the efficacy and safety of alternative and complementary remedies as well as providing training and information about about alternative and complementary therapies.

• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health   lists government approved sites for research into alternative therapies.

• Center for Alternate Medicine Research in Cancer at The University of Texas~Houston Health Science Center. The center's mission is to:
  • Facilitate the scientific evaluations of biopharmacologic and herbal therapies as well as innovative approaches.

  • Establish a national network of alternative medicine practitioners, conventional practitioners, and researchers.

  • Support the use of critical evaluation skills among alternative medicine practitioners and researchers.

• Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies (CSCAT) University of Virginia - Working on alternative pain therapies for cancer patients and others.
  

The below sites are from private organizations that have looked into many alternative treatments.

• Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) home page. CSICOP is publisher of The Skeptical Observer . There is a little bit of information on alternative cancer therapies here, along with a host of information on many other topics.

• National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) is a non-profit, tax-exempt voluntary health agency that focuses its attention upon health fraud, misinformation and quackery as public health problems. It has information on alternative treatments for various ailments, including some information on cancer treatments.

• Quackwatch, Your Guide to Health Fraud, Quackery, and Intelligent Decisionmaking . This site is operated by Stephen Barrett, M.D. Quackwatch, Inc., is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, and fallacies. This site has more inforation about cancer therapies then NCAHF or CSICOP .

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