GCF BULLETIN

GCF Supports Interactive Women's Cancer Network

A new project funded by the GCF is the development of the Women's Cancer Network by Dr. Mitchell Morris' Informatics Committee.

This interactive Internet site is being developed for two groups of women -- those who would like to know about their personal risk of developing cancer and those who have been diagnosed with cancer.

For the first group, the Women's Cancer Network will present users with an interactive survey tool that will elicit family history, knowledge and compliance with cancer screening guidelines, and cancer risk based on behavior or exposure. Following completion of this survey tool on-line, women will be given a personalized assessment of their cancer risk along with suggestions for reducing her chances of getting cancer. While this site will focus on gynecologic cancers, information regarding other common cancers in women, such as cancers of the breast and lung, will also be provided by the network.

The goal of this public education program is to provide an interesting and engaging method of decreasing the risk of cancer in women. An early version of the Women's Cancer Network is expected to be operational by March 1997.

The other component of the Women's Cancer Network will provide information to patients and their families when a gynecologic cancer has been diagnosed. This will include information on treatment options, such as the availability of innovative or experimental therapies.

The user will also be educated regarding gynecologic oncology and methods of accessing this type of care. Using Internet technology, this site will have "links" to other sources of cancer information on the Internet. The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation is committed to informing women about cancer, and through the use of the Internet this important information will reach millions of women around the world.