Whether you need to learn about breast cancer treatment options or you want to understand the risk factors of the disease, it is important that you do your research using up-to-date information. As new research studies are published and new treatments become available, medical and scientific knowledge can become outdated quickly. The good news is we live in the information age. Never before has it been so easy to access up-to-date breast cancer information. The bad news is not all sources of information are accurate or reliable.
Step 1
Go to the MedlinePlus website to view a comprehensive source of breast cancer information. According to MedlinePlus, the website is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. MedlinePlus has separate web pages for "Breast Cancer" and "Male Breast Cancer."
Step 2
Visit the National Cancer Institute website and click on "Breast Cancer." From the "Breast Cancer" page, you can go to a multitude of topics. There are links to information about treatment options, clinical trials, prevention and risk factors. Some topics---Breast Cancer Prevention, for example---have both a patient version and a health professional version available. If you are not a health professional, you may find that the medical and scientific terminology is difficult to understand.
Step 3
Read the American Cancer Society's most recent "Breast Cancer Facts and Figures" report if you want to gather statistics. According to the American Cancer Society, the 2009-2010 report contains "information on breast cancer occurrence, prevention and risk factors, survival, and treatment in the US, including the estimated numbers of new breast cancer cases and deaths in 2009."
Step 4
Sign up for email newsletters. Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Breastcancer.org, the Johns Hopkins Breast Center, and the Young Survival Coalition are among the organizations that offer email newsletters.
Step 5
Set up search engine news alerts. Some search engines allow you to set up news alerts on specific topics. As news breaks on the topic, you will receive an alert in your email inbox. You may have to experiment with the search terms until you get just the right amount of news. If you set up a general alert for "breast cancer" you may get more than just scientific and medical news---you may also receive human interest stories. If you are receiving too many alerts, either narrow your search terms or reduce the frequency with which the alerts are delivered to your inbox.
Tips and Warnings
- Websites are often reorganized. If you can't find the section you are looking for, use the website's search box.
- Information is not medical advice. Be sure to consult a qualified physician before using any breast cancer information to make health-related decisions. Read the website's privacy policy before signing up for its email newsletter.
