National Breast Cancer Resources

You will find that many of these sites cross-reference each other’s resources.  Before you start, take a look at the MEDLINEplus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing.

American Cancer Society has information about breast cancer and lists of resources. You can choose breast cancer from a list of cancers on the home page. It also has late-breaking news. From Medical Updates, click on Select a News Topic, and then select Breast Cancer from the list. From the home page you can search for resources in your community.

Avon Corporation's Foundation is a major fundraiser for breast cancer, including National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

For information about male breast cancer, see Breast Cancer in Men from the University of Maryland.  The site can be translated to Spanish from a link at the bottom of the page.  Also, the National Association of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO) maintains a page with many links to Male Breast Cancer Resources. The Male Breast Cancer link is in the pages of the National Institute of Cancer. See also former Senator Edward M Brooke’s story about his breast cancer experience.

Breast Cancer Resource Committee is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing incidence and mortality from breast cancer among African American women. The Washington, DC based organization recognized the immense need, especially in African American women, for increasing the understanding of breast cancer risks, the vital importance of screening and early detection, and the availability of successful treatment options. Although their web page has not been updated recently, they are still active and answer phone calls. (202) 463-8040. African American Breast Cancer Alliance, Inc., is “dedicated to providing hope, awareness, education and support to breast cancer survivors, their family members and the community.  Information and action is particularly important because Black women tend to have more aggressive breast cancers at younger ages and benefit from earlier detection and vigorous treatments.” Although this organization meets in Minnesota, the resources listed on its page are useful for women wherever they live. One site linked to from the AABCA page is BreastCancerBlackWoman which is managed and kept up to date by a doctor. In addition to useful information the artwork and music support the attractive interface.

BreastLink has a good collection of current news articles called the Science Behind the News. It also links to other technical reports in News & Events which has articles from the current BreastLink, journal. It is supported by the Breast Cancer Care & Research Fund. On the home page there are sidebar links to articles in Spanish.

BreastCancer.Net is a very rich news and information site. Readers can subscribe to a daily news bulletin. The home page has headlines from the current month and archives of past months. From the home page, you can link to Newsroom and Articles. If you scroll down in Articles, you can find a section of articles in Spanish for example, Datos sobre el tratamiento de quimioterapia contra el cancer. Many of the articles are from the National Institutes of Health.  This is a good place to start a study of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and a good place to return to follow-up for new questions.

The BreastCancer Site is a gateway to online shopping that supports free mammograms. If this is your homepage or a favorite, you can click daily to fund free mammograms. Sponsoring shopping companies include Lands End, LL Bean, Eddie Bauer, and Amazon.com. Your click on the "Fund Free Mammograms" button helps fund free mammograms, paid for by site sponsors and provided through the efforts of the non-profit National Breast Cancer Foundation to low-income, inner-city and minority women, whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited.

Climb to Fight Breast Cancer and Mt Kilimanjaro are annual events sponsored by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to raise funds for cancer research.  FHCRC is one of 39 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer research centers.

herSource.com stays current with information about Breast Cancer and Osteoporosis. The Breast Cancer page has links to alternative therapies, sentinel node biopsies, reconstruction, digital mammograms and many other topics. It sponsors teleconferences and a toll free information line. The banner across the top of each page has quick links to major topics. The Site Map will show you the extent of the material in this website.  This is a rich and user-friendly site.

The Lawrence Berkeley National Lab maintains ELSI, Ethical Legal and Social Issues in Science. The section on Breast Cancer Screening is written for middle and high school students and may be useful for older children of breast cancer patients as they learn about the disease. However, it is a good introduction for most newly-diagnosed people.

Imaginis.com is an independent, award-winning, comprehensive resource for news and information on breast cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment and related women's health topics.”  All of its articles and news announcements are carefully researched and referenced to NIH or another reliable source and are written in clear, plain, jargon-avoiding language. Imaginis has a monthly online newsletter.

There are few sites focused towards the interests of Lesbians and women partnering with women. The Mautner Foundation offers online information, and support for women living in the Washington, DC, area. It has one of the better, though brief, sections in Spanish on breast cancer quick facts and risks for cancer.

MAMM magazine publishes three times each year plus three supplements. Supplements include reports from conferences with interviews with physicians and other participants. The Summer 2003 issue is “Improving Quality of Life: Reinvigorate Your Body and Mind” and the Spring 2003 is “Treatment Guide for the Newly Diagnosed: Breast Cancer.” The magazine features personal articles about women’s survival strategies as well as news about diagnosis, treatment and alternative therapies. Back issues are available.

MD Anderson is the highly respected cancer center at the University of Texas in Houston.  Many New Mexicans are referred to MD Anderson. Its pages can be read in English or Spanish.  An especially interesting feature is the Complementary/Integrative Medicine section.

MEDLINEplus is a goldmine of general medical information from the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health. To read in Spanish, click here.

The National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, NABCO, has national education resources and includes a national calendar of events and nationwide support groups for women and men with breast cancer. It is one of the best places to start your search for information about diagnosis and treatment. It stresses the importance of not allowing yourself to be rushed into making a decision, asking questions and turning to family and friends for help. Recently Diagnosed from their home page, is a place to start.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is held in October. The site has a number of free or inexpensive resources, including videos, in English and a few in Spanish. NBCAM focuses on early detection of breast cancer and announces a National Mammography Day each year in October when radiologists offer free or reduced cost mammograms.

The National Breast Cancer Coalition, NBCC, is a grassroots advocacy organization founded in 1991. NBCC focuses its public policy advocacy on legislative priorities that will increase funding for breast cancer research, provide access to high quality health care and clinical trials, and expand the influence of breast cancer advocates in all aspects of the breast cancer decision making process. In that time, NBCC has created partnerships, collaborations, research funding opportunities and avenues for access to quality care. The NBCC advocacy conference, held annually in May, is a national meeting to inform and hear from breast cancer advocates from around the country and world.  Attendees attend plenary and break-out sessions on current topics to inform them for their advocacy roles. The last day of   the conference is Lobby Day and attendees spend the day of Capitol Hill visiting their state Senators and Representatives. Project Lead, directed by the NBCC Fund helps women and men gain the skills they need to become effective breast cancer advocates. PLTC in New Mexico supports participation in the advocacy conferences. NBCC takes positions on important issues such as the recent Million Woman Study in England on hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer. These links are found in the Breaking News box at the bottom of the home page sidebar.

The National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Home Page has information and news about clinical trials, treatment, prevention, genetics, statistics and cancer literature. NCI is one of the National Institutes of Health, a US government office. It has an extensive listing of publications in English and Spanish on breast cancer. It is a premier site for national initiatives and information. It has a link to information about Breast Cancer and Pregnancy. 70% of the money raised by the USPS Breast Cancer Stamp goes to NIH.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network is an alliance of leading cancer research and treatment centers and has news, information about trials, and a large catalog of information about cancer in general. The section on breast cancer is extensive and can be read in Spanish or English.

The National Lymphedema Network (NLN) provides education and guidance to lymphedema patients. Founded by a nurse, NLN provide education and guidance to lymphedema patients, health care professionals and the general public by disseminating information on the prevention and management of primary and secondary lymphedema. Information sections include What is Lymphedema, Support Groups, Resource Guide, and Net/Pen Pals.

PinkRibbon is newer site and is maintained by a breast cancer survivor. Here is where to go find out about the start of the pink ribbon tradition. The Celebrities link has a list of many women who have had breast cancer. The site has her very personal reflections and analyses of lymphedema, Chemobrain, and Chemopause/Sexuality after Cancer. Each section has links to other national sites. It appears not to have been updated since 8/27/2002.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation's invaluable site contains over 100 pages of general breast health information, along with specific areas that address the needs of breast cancer survivors and their friends and families, the media, and the medical and scientific communities. If you can only visit one site, this is it. The Komen site has information organized into breastcancerinfo.com which has a translation in Spanish, ABCs of Breast Cancer, and News. The Komen Foundations raises thousands of dollars for research and to support promising practices through fund raising efforts, in particular through Race for the Cure. In Albuquerque, the race is held annually in July. Komen Foundation makes several grants to New Mexico breast cancer organizations. One of the special features of the Komen site is Celebrating Survivor Stories. There are links to alternative and complementary therapies as well as to special populations like Latinas, African-Americans, and Lesbians

SusanLoveMD.com is another premier site. From the home page, click on Site Map to see and choose from the wide scope of information that is available. Susan Love, MD, is the author of the Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, now in its third edition, has been called the "the bible for women with breast cancer." Her site has links to information about breast pap smears or ductal lavage, to clinical trials, and to making the decision about treatment options and possible side effects. Show Me is an excellent photo album of women, their own descriptions of their cancer experiences, and photos of their treatment results. There are links to alternative and complementary therapies. Her reviews of clinical trials and other news from medical conferences are clear and timely.

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) manages biomedical research programs that are part of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Army budget submission. In addition, as directed by Congress, the USAMRMC manages congressional special interest biomedical research programs. The Breast Cancer program’s vision is to eradicate breast cancer and mission is to foster new directions, address neglected issues, and bring new investigators into the field. 30% of the profits raised by the US Postal Service’s Breast Cancer Stamp goes to support the DOD’s Breast Cancer program. The Era of Hope is a research conference whose participants are both professionals in the breast cancer field and lay persons: breast cancer survivors.  This exciting and innovative meeting brings the insights of both group to decisions for funding for research proposals to USAMRMC.  The meetings are held every two to three years.  The National Breast Cancer Coalition was instrumental in the formation of this program.  Women from New Mexico attend the Era of Hope conferences. For information please call PLTC at (505) 242-3263.

Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization can be accessed in English or Spanish. Y-Me is much more upbeat than its name suggests. The mission of Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization is to decrease the impact of breast cancer, create and increase breast cancer awareness, and ensure that no one faces breast cancer alone. It supports a network of national counselors and has an online survey tool to linked to information about various kinds of breast cancer and treatment options. Although at this writing, several of their pages had not been updated, their information on clinical trials is current.

WebMd is a site with considerable medical information. It also has a lot of advertising and the reader needs to keep a critical eye. Articles are reviewed by doctors and their names are cited. There is a section on breast self exam, Visit the Breast Cancer Center and the Breast Health links. Breast Cancer is just one of the many health issues at WebMd.

National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) has been working in states, U.S. Territories, and tribal organizations to ensure women with little or no insurance have access to lifesaving cancer screening, diagnostic, and treatment services. As of 2002, the NBCCEDP has provided breast and cervical cancer screening services to more than 1.5 million uninsured and underinsured women. Administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NBCCEDP was established by Congress in 1991. The CDC Foundation funds programs of the NBCCEDP.

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