Radiation Oncology Patient Resources
Trying to understand the implications of a diagnosis of cancer can be overwhelming and frightening. The list of excellent third-party websites below provides comprehensive and clear, unbiased information regarding a variety of cancers and common treatment options. Please feel free to discuss any information you learn online with your physician:
- American Cancer Society – www.cancer.org
- National Cancer Institute (at the National Institutes of Health) – www.cancer.gov
- Radiation Therapy Answers – www.rtanswers.org *
- American Society for Clinical Oncology – www.cancer.net
*RTanswers.org is the patient website for the American Society for Radiation Oncology previously known as ASTRO. This is an excellent resource for patients and caregivers to find detailed information about radiation therapy including what to expect before, during and after treatment, questions for patients to ask about radiation safety, and a dictionary to help patients understand the terms they will hear. In addition, ASTRO’s patient information brochures are available for download on the website and are optimized for viewing on mobile devices.
Downloads
The Choosing Wisely campaign was initiated by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 2012 and now there are 70 participating specialty societies with combined lists of over 400 recommendations to reduce the amount of overused or unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures. The campaign has also been adopted in 11 other countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Italy. The work of the campaign continues with additional health systems receiving funding through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation later this year to reduce overuse of unnecessary tests in their communities. The recommendations for radiation oncology are listed below:
