Best Skin Cancer Websites

This is a summary of the best websites I could find around the world for skin cancer, both for general information (symptoms, treatment options, research, etc) and for forums (message or discussion boards) and other kinds of support. And for those living in Australia there is information about Australian websites here.

Most links open in a new window, so to return to this page simply minimise or close the new window.

For those with an involvement with the skin cancer melanoma there is an excellent website called MPIP (Melanoma Patients’ Information Page) which has lots of information and a very active forum and a chat room. The home page is at www.mpip.org and the forum or bulletin board is at www.mpip.org/bb/bbindex.html.

Another very good source of information on skin cancer and its treatment is the website of the U.S. Government's National Cancer Institute at www.cancer.gov. The sections devoted to Melanoma and Skin Cancer (Non-melanoma) give easy to read and easy to understand descriptions of what skin cancers are, how they are diagnosed, treatment options, descriptions of treatments, and more. Go to their home page, find the heading “Types of Cancer” and click on the link “A to Z List of Cancers” and hunt down either “Melanoma” or "Skin Cancer (Non-melanoma)" in the alphabetical list.

The American Cancer Society runs one of the most comprehensive websites on cancer and cancer-related matters on the net. Their address is www.cancer.org. To find their information on skin cancers, go to their home page, click on the link "Choose a cancer topic" and find and click on 'Skin Cancer - Melanoma' or 'Skin Cancer - Nonmelanoma' in the alphabetical list that displays and then click on Go. They also run some forums including one called Skin Cancer.

They have many other resources too for those involved with cancer so it's well worth browsing their site for additional information and support that may be relevant to your situation.

The website of the Skin Cancer Foundation at www.skincancer.org includes well-written and easy to understand information on the types of skin cancer and their treatments, photos illustrating their appearance on the skin, and a physician finder for the USA. There's also valuable information about ways to help prevent skin cancer.

New entry 9th October 2008: The Sydney (in Australia) Melanoma Unit website at www.smu.org.au - I haven't had a chance to check their website out yet so I will quote from the Adelaide Melanoma Unit website Resources page: "Sydney Melanoma Unit This is located in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and is the largest centre for the treatment of melanoma in the world. It has an international reputation for high quality patient care, research on melanoma and is also involved in community and medical practitioner education about melanoma and other skin cancers."

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) at www.nccn.org is “an alliance of 19 of the world's leading cancer centers, ... an authoritative source of information to help patients and health professionals make informed decisions about cancer care. Through the collective expertise of its member institutions, the NCCN develops, updates, and disseminates a complete library of clinical practice guidelines. These guidelines are the standard for clinical policy in oncology” - (quoted from their website). If you want to take a role in planning your course of treatment in consultation with your medical health providers then you may find these guidelines valuable.

The physician-friendly set of clinical guidelines for the treatment of skin cancers can be found by going to this webpage www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/default.asp. And the NCCN have teamed up with the American Cancer Society to produce patient-friendly versions in English and Spanish for several of the most common types of cancer including melanoma - the direct link to these patient friendly guidelines for melanoma is
www.nccn.org/patients/patient_gls/_english/_melanoma/contents.asp.

New entry 23nd October 2007 - there are skin cancer and melanoma forums (message boards) on the CancerCompass website at www.cancercompass.com - just go to their home page and it's easy to find the forums from there.

MSN hosts a skin cancer support group with an active forum: "SkinCancer [703 members on 28th June 2006] Welcome to our skin cancer support community. Chat with people who have had skin cancer from melonoma to basal cell carcinoma. Communicate and read how people are dealing with skin cancer." The direct link to it is http://groups.msn.com/SkinCancer. If that link doesn't work, go to the MSN list of cancer groups at http://groups.msn.com/browse.msnw?catid=101, click on the word English in this sentence "Currently browsing English groups created on the [your country] site" and select your browsing options.

Mailing lists provide another way of getting in touch with others involved with skin cancer and for sharing information and support. The Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR) hosts a melanoma list (the Melanoma Support Group) with 219 subscribers (as at 28th June 2006) - to find the list go to the ACOR website at www.acor.org and click on 'Mailing Lists Center' near the top of the page, or try this direct link http://listserv.acor.org/archives/melanoma.html. It may also be worth searching through their index of mailing lists to look for any other lists that may be relevant to your situation.

A website called "Merkel Cell Carcinoma Information for Patients & Their Physicians" at www.merkelcell.org provides good basic information about MCC, and its diagnosis, staging, prognosis and treatment, and gives links to news and research articles. It's been prepared by cancer experts and is published under the name of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (a large cancer center in the USA).

They say "MCC, sometimes referred to as a neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin, arises from the uncontrolled growth of Merkel cells in the skin. It is a rare skin cancer with roughly 1000 cases per year in the United States, making it about 40 times less common than melanoma."
"We have assembled this information to answer frequently asked questions about Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Since MCC is a rare malignancy, few patients are familiar with the disease and few doctors are familiar with its treatment. Easy access to understandable information is often difficult to obtain. In this resource, we have combined our review of the best available literature and our experience caring for over 60 patients with MCC ... since 2000."

If you want to delve deeper into any aspect of cancer, a good source of information is Medlineplus at www.medlineplus.gov. It's a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health and it’s a big well-organised and easily searchable site. The link to the section on cancers is www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancers.html and the link to their section on skin cancer is www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/skincancer.html.

Exposure to sunlight, skin cancer and vitamin D

It appears that most skin cancers are a consequence of the ultraviolet light in sunlight damaging our skin. There is now a lot of practical advice on skin cancer websites and in the popular literature and media on sensible ways we can protect ourselves from the kinds of sun exposure most likely to damage our skin.

Based on our current knowledge it would seem wise to adopt a lifetime policy of minimising unnecessary skin exposure to the sun, without going overboard about it. We may be particularly vulnerable in the first two decades of our lives, so parents need to take sensible measures to protect babies and children, and teach good sunsafe habits. We are advised to avoid sunburn if possible, particularly severe sunburn, and not to sunbathe or use tanning beds and similar artificial tanning aids.

On the other side of the coin, sunlight on the skin results in the production of vitamin D, which is necessary for good bone health among other things. Some evidence has also been reported that vitamin D may play a role in lowering our risk of getting several types of cancers although it is difficult to establish a connection with confidence and more research is needed.

So we need to strike a balance between protecting our skin from the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, and getting sufficient exposure to ensure we don't become deficient in vitamin D. Fortunately for the majority of people, it doesn't take much exposure to sunlight on average per day (half an hour or less on hands, arms and face) to make sufficient vitamin D. The amount of exposure depends on various factors such as time of year, how far from the equator we live and our age.

For those who don't get sufficient sun exposure, vitamin D deficiencies can usually be overcome by taking vitamin D supplements. Pills containing vitamin D can be purchased relatively cheaply and don't require medical prescriptions. (It's possible to induce severe toxicity by taking megadoses of vitamin D way beyond the recommended doses - you can find information about this in the section called "Toxicity" in this article http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/).

We can also increase our vitamin D intake by eating foods rich in vitamin D. The standard cow's milk you routinely purchase in your country may be fortified with vitamin D or there may be a fortified variety available. Some other foods could also be fortified eg some breads, breakfast cereals and margarine, but unless it says so on the label I would assume it isn't fortified. There's information about milk and other foods fortified with vitamin D in the USA in this National Institutes of Health article "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D" at http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp.

There have been many lifestyle activities in the past which seemed like a good idea at the time but which have turned out to be harmful, hazardous or even deadly. Smoking is the archetypal example, along with excessive alchohol consumption. In the early twentieth century it became fashionable in some countries for fair-skinned people to acquire a tan, either by sunbathing or using tanning beds or solariums and solar lamps. Now that the dangers of ultraviolet light on the skin are recognised, we can see that deliberately exposing our skins to ultraviolet light simply for the purpose of tanning is not a good idea after all.

If you're a devotee of sunbathing, tanning beds or solar lamps, you could ask yourself "Why am I doing this, knowing that it is damaging my skin, putting me at greater risk of skin cancer which could bring a premature end to my life, and likely to age my skin before its time so that later in life when I still want to look young and sexy I will actually look older than my age?"

There are various reasons why people may want to expose lots of bare skin when outdoors. It can be fun, cool, fashionable, convenient, and feel healthy and free - "born free".

I often visit the beach on summer weekends, and ponder the question of how teenagers in particular and everyone in general can look sexy and dress for hot weather and swimming without risk of getting skin cancer and prematurely ageing their skin. With diligence the risks can be greatly reduced. Sunscreen lotion, hats, suitable sunglasses, beach shelters, parasols and umbrellas, shirts that can be easily taken on and off, planning outdoor recreation for the late afternoon and evening rather than earlier when the sun is at its most intense - these are among the ways the health-conscious person can minimise the risk.

An excellent source of easy to understand reading on the dangers of ultraviolet light including skin cancers, premature ageing of the skin and eye damage, on the risks of tanning, and on ways we can protect our skin and eyes, is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website called Tanning at www.fda.gov/cdrh/tanning.

Cancer Council Australia has produced several position statements relating to sun exposure and protection which are well worth reading - you can find links to these position statements in the left hand column of this page www.cancer.org.au/Healthprofessionals/PositionStatements/sunsmart.htm

A good article on the amount of sun exposure we may need is on the Australian Broadcasting Commission website at www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/s1408741.htm - it's called "Sun, bones and Vitamin D", by Peter Lavelle.

Here's a quote:
"Professor Rebecca Mason, an expert on vitamin D and calcium metabolism and Professor of Physiology at the University of Sydney, says the recommended levels of sunlight exposure won't put anyone at risk of skin cancer.
Those levels are: in summer, six to eight minutes a day on most days. In winter, it should be half an hour most days. You need to have only 15 per cent of your body exposed - arms, hands and face - to get this exposure.
She agrees that most people will already get this amount. But those people in the at-risk group should make sure they get at least this amount. People with dark skin may need more.
We need to maintain a balance - we need enough sunlight to keep our bones healthy but not so much that we're at risk of skin cancer."

The recommended levels of sunlight exposure she gives need to be adjusted for your particular latitude, season and age but they give an idea of what is needed. Most pale-skinned people should be able to stay pale-skinned while ensuring their vitamin D levels are adequate. If you're worried about your vitamin D level (and I gather that most younger people who spend some time outdoors most days needn't be concerned) you can ask your doctor for a routine vitamin D test. The older you are eg over 60 the more likely you are to develop a vitamin D deficiency.

There's another good and more technical article in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA 2005; 182 (6):281-285) on this webpage
www.mja.com.au/public/issues/182_06_210305/dia10848_fm.html. It's a position statement called "Vitamin D and adult bone health in Australia and New Zealand: a position statement" by the Working Group of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society, Endocrine Society of Australia and Osteoporosis Australia.

Another excellent article I suggest reading is called "Vitamin D", from the Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center, at http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/.

And another very good article is the USA's National Institutes of Health's "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D" I mentioned earlier, at www.ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp.

The subject of vitamin D and our health is under very active study and review by scientists at present. On the topic of any link between vitamin D levels and cancer prevention and treatment, the abovementioned USA's National Institutes of Health's "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D", published several years ago, says "Additional well-designed clinical trials need to be conducted to determine whether vitamin D deficiency increases cancer risk, or if an increased intake of vitamin D is protective against some cancers. Until such trials are conducted, it is premature to advise anyone to take vitamin D supplements for cancer prevention". The fact sheet will be updated in the northern hemisphere autumn 2008 based on a recent conference "Vitamin D and Health in the 21st Century: An Update (Sept. 5-6, 2007)", so it will be very interesting to see what they say.

Now let's take a visit to the beach. The image below is a typical weekend hot summer afternoon scene on a beach in the coastal Australian city of Adelaide where I live - an abundance of bare skin exposed to the full glare of the sun. There's a larger version of this photo here, covering more of the beach, so you can examine the scene in greater detail - you'll need to scroll horizontally and vertically to see the full image. It opens in a separate window so to return here simply close or minimise that window.

The majority of beachgoers you can see in the full image are not wearing hats or shirts or using any kind of beach shelter, although there are some exceptions. (Some of the people wearing shirts or similar tops are arriving or leaving the beach). We can't see how many people are wearing sunscreen lotion. I do often see it being applied and its use is doubtless a lot more prevalent than hats and shirts. We also can't tell what percent of beachgoers in this picture are using sunglasses that protect their eyes from ultraviolet light.

It's a safe bet that no-one in this photo is using any kind of meter to measure the amount of ultraviolet radiation their skin is receiving. Sunburn will be their only visible guide that they've overdone the exposure.

Photo by Ed Everest from Glenelg Jetty Sunday 17th February 2008.

World General Cancer-Related Websites Other websites you may find valuable
Cancerbackup at www.cancerbackup.org.uk is "The UK's leading cancer information site: your one-stop site with over 6,000 pages of up-to-date cancer information, practical advice and support for cancer patients, their families and carers."

They've recently started a social networking site called What Now at www.whatnow.org.uk "... a cancer community that really lets you get in touch with other people affected by cancer. Chat in the chatrooms, discuss on the forums, send private messages, upload videos and pictures ...".

There's also a section on the Cancerbackup website called Teen Info on Cancer "...easy to understand cancer information written for young people" and a social networking cancer community for teens. You can find links to these on the Cancerbackup home page.

If you live in Canada I suggest checking out the Canadian Cancer Society website at www.cancer.ca and searching for information and resources relevant to Canada and your local region. The website comes in both English and French language versions.
There are links to lymphedema websites on this page www.bestcancersites.com/lymphedema.

Various cancer treatment centres and medical teams around the world have set up websites to provide information on their facilities and services, and they may have quite detailed information about various kinds of cancers and their treatments. If you visit their websites it pays to be aware they are promoting their own particular facilities and treatments. Nevertheless their websites can be valuable sources of information as they are right at the coal face for treatment and research. Two good ones to explore are the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the USA at www.dana-farber.org and the Sidney Kimmell Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in the USA at www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org. There's a list of USA cancer centers with links to their websites on this page of the National Cancer Institute website www.cancercenters.cancer.gov/cancer_centers/cancer-centers-names.html.
Cancercare is a large USA-based organisation "that provides free, professional support services for anyone affected by cancer." On their website at www.cancercare.org you can find some information resources, advice on such matters as financial assistance, and counseling services (online, telephone and face-to-face). There are also some online support groups or forums.

Websites created for adolescents-teens and young adults with cancer

There are a small but growing number of websites created specifically for adolescents-teens and young adults with cancer.

If you're in one of these age groups and you've been diagnosed with cancer, I suggest making the website of the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation at www.imtooyoungforthis.org one of your first ports of call, exploring the site, and checking out their comprehensive list of other cancer-related internet resources for adolescents-teens and young adults. Look for the heading "Support Channels" on the home page: "The channels below will connect you with hundreds of age-appropriate resources and open the door to socially network with countless thousands of young adult survivors and caregivers".

I'm Too Young For This! also has a presence on several social newtworking websites including Facebook at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2255009406 and Myspace at www.myspace.com/imtooyoungforthis.

The Foundation and website is the creation of concert pianist and composer Matthew Zachary who at the age of 21 was diagnosed with brain cancer. Not only has he continued his musical career since his diagnosis but he's turned some of his creative energies to developing the I'm Too Young For This! Foundation and website as a "...survivor-led advocacy, support and research organization working exclusively on behalf of survivors and care providers under the age of 40".

Here's an estimate given on the I'm Too Young For This! website of the numbers of people in the adolescents-teens and young adult age groups affected by cancer in the USA alone. You can multiply these figures by twenty to get an idea of the numbers for the entire planet. "... there are (in the US) in excess of 1,000,000 young adults aged 15-39 currently living with through and beyond their cancer diagnosis and treatment. This statistic also includes long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Furthermore, if you add adults over 39 who were diagnosed as young adults or , we're looking at nearly two million people. ... But wait! There's more! Survivorship is not just about the patient! Caregivers matter, too! So, if you now account for young adult spouses, siblings, children and parents, we're pretty much talking eight figures of people (>10,000,000)."

So if you're in the adolescents-teens or young adult age groups and you've been diagnosed with cancer at some time in your life, you aren't alone!

Realtime Cancer at www.realtimecancer.org is a Canadian organisation and website for young adults involved with cancer. It was established in 2000 by Geoff Eaton who was diagnosed in 1998 at age 22 with leukemia.

Among the resources on the website there are many survivor and supporter profiles or stories, a forum, news and articles, and a list of the different support groups in Canada specifically focused on young adults (look for the thread in their forum titled "Local Young Adult Support Groups!"). They also run a public education program.

There's plenty on their website that will be of interest to young adults with cancer wherever they live in the world, and to those working to improve services and support for young adults with cancer.

Patty has created a comprehensive website called the Pediatric Oncology Resource Center at www.acor.org/ped-onc , for parents, friends, and families of children who have or had childhood cancer. There's a wealth of information on her site, including an annotated list of links to many teen and some young adult web sites and support groups on this webpage www.acor.org/ped-onc/cfissues/teens.html .

Planet Cancer is a USA-based organisation and website for young adults with cancer. It was founded in 1995 by Heidi Adams, Robin Blue and Paul Cox who were all wrestling with cancer in their twenties at the time. The Planet Cancer website at www.planetcancer.org mixes irreverance and humour with support including forums and chat, information and news and retreats, and social networking.

Reducing the isolation many young adults with cancer feel is a key aspect of Planet Cancer's mission. They provide information on various ways for young adults with cancer to connect with each other, including:
"A clearinghouse for [list of] young adult groups around the country [USA], including official support groups, camps and more informal gatherings. Let us know about your local group, so that we can spread the word to others in your area" ...
... a list of "Camps around the country that hold sessions specifically for young adults with cancer. Some of these are provided free of cost to cancer survivors and their families" ...
... "if you're looking to connect with another cancer survivor on a more personal basis than you could online or in a support group ... Several matching services exist for young adults going through cancer who would like to meet or talk to someone else who has had a similar experience. If you want to get REALLY personal there's also an online dating community!".

Planet Cancer has recently added a valuable new resource that's bound to be popular - a social networking site for young adults with cancer at http://myplanet.planetcancer.org. Members can join groups or form their own groups, share photos and videos, participate in the forums and chat, and run their own blogs. Planet Cancer also has a presence on Facebook at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4614089667.

The big United Kingdom based website www.cancerbackup.org.uk has a section on cancer for teenagers including a teens social networking cancer community "Write a blog, chat on the forums, send messages, make friends - you can do all this and much more ...". Look for a link to TIC on their home page or try this direct link www.click4tic.org.uk.

If you explore the websites I've described above, including their links and resources pages, you'll find a variety of other websites and resources relevant to adolescents-teens and young adults with cancer.

New entry 18th April 2008: The website Chemocare.com at www.chemocare.com is described as "designed to provide the latest information about chemotherapy to patients and their families, caregivers and friends. We are here to help by supplementing what you may already have learned from your healthcare professional". If you're involved with chemotherapy either as a patient or as a supporter, caregiver or health provider, I suggest visiting this site and exploring for information that may be relevant to your situation.

There are easy-to-understand sections called "What is Chemotherapy", "Managing Side Effects", "Eating Well During Chemotherapy", "Before and After Chemotherapy", "Complementary Medicine" and "Survivor Experiences". There's also an active message board (forum) where you can share information, experiences and support.

In the section "Chemotherapy Drugs" there is an A to Z list of chemotherapy drugs which includes detailed information about what each drug is used for, how it's administered, side effects, and how the drug works.

They cast their net fairly widely. They say "Sometimes referred to simply as "chemo", chemotherapy is used most often to describe drugs that kill cancer cells directly. These are sometimes referred to as "anti-cancer" drugs or "antineoplastics." Other chemo drugs such as biologic response modifiers, hormone therapy, and monoclonal antibodies, which work in different ways to treat cancer, are included in this web-site. Today's therapy uses more than 100 drugs to treat cancer."

Chemocare.com is a website of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute (a cancer hospital in the U.S.).

The website RxList at www.rxlist.com - self-described as “The Internet Drug Index providing fast, reliable information to both the consumer and the medical professional” - has information about hundreds of medicinal drugs and also active forums or discussion boards on the more popular drugs as well as forums for discussing less popular drugs and alternative therapies. The link to their forums index page is www.rxlist.com/rxboard.htm.

A good website for finding clinical trials relating to any type of cancer is the USA Government’s National Cancer Institute site at www.cancer.gov - go to their home page and click on the link Clinical Trials, or click on this direct link www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials.

There’s another USA Government website called ClinicalTrials.gov at www.clinicaltrials.gov where you can search for trials. “ClinicalTrials.gov offers up-to-date information for locating federally and privately supported clinical trials for a wide range of diseases and conditions” and “ClinicalTrials.gov currently contains approximately 12,600 clinical studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, other federal agencies, and private industry. Studies listed in the database are conducted in all 50 States and in over 100 countries. ClinicalTrials.gov receives over 4 million page views per month and hosts approximately 17,000 visitors daily.”

I suggest starting your search for clinical trials with the National Cancer Institute site and then trying the ClinicalTrials.gov site. I don't know if ClinicalTrials.gov includes the same database as the NCI site but it doesn’t use the same search form so it might turn up something different anyway. Both sites include trials around the world as well as those in the USA.

You could also try the “American Cancer Society /EmergingMed Clinical Trials Matching Service ... This free Clinical Trial Matching and Referral Service is made available to American Cancer Society visitors through a collaboration with EmergingMed. ... Fill out one questionnaire and within seconds you'll know if your profile matches any clinical trials in our system. The EmergingMed database contains more than 3,000 clinical trials for treatment, prevention and early detection of cancer.” Look for the link to clinical trials on the home page of the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org or try this direct link http://clinicaltrials.cancer.org.

If you have concerns about fertility in relation to cancer and its treatment, go to this page www.bestcancersites.com/fertility for links to websites with information and support on fertility issues.
NORD - the National Organisation for Rare Disorders - on their website at www.rarediseases.org has a database of rare disorders including many rare cancers. The database gives a list of alternative names for each disorder, some basic information about the disorder, and a list of organisations related to that disorder.

Daily Strength at www.dailystrength.org is a new website devoted to hosting support communities "for all health issues & life challenges". They say "DailyStrength was built to enable people facing life challenges to: a) simply and easily communicate their progress with friends, family, supporters, and have those people respond with encouragement and help. b) find others facing the same circumstances, and exchange experiences, treatments and even hugs within a safe community setting." Currently there are thirty-eight support communities for different kinds of cancers (including some poorly represented elsewhere on the internet), and communities for many other health issues you may be interested in such as lymphedema and fertility matters. The website is well set out and participation in communities is simple. You can post messages, and keep a journal and upload photos and videos if you wish.

There are links to nutrition and excercise guidelines on this webpage nutrition and excercise guidelines. It says in part "It would be pretty safe to say that the basic principles of healthy diets and good excercise are now well understood by scientists, and the information is available in the form of easy to understand nutrition and physical activity guidelines on the internet and in print. If we want to get our general eating and excercise habits up to world's best practice for humans going about their everyday lives on planet Earth, we can do it using these guidelines, adjusting the information to suit our particular circumstances."

For anyone considering trying an alternative treatment for cancer (one that is not mainstream medicine and scientifically demonstrated to be safe and beneficial) the website Quackwatch has a very good section on their site called “A Special Message for Cancer Patients Seeking "Alternative" Treatments”. It will help you decide whether an alternative treatment you are considering is safe and might be beneficial in some way, or whether it might be unsafe and/or fraudulent. The direct link is www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/altseek.html or you can find the link on their home page at www.quackwatch.org.

The American Cancer Society website has a valuable section called "Complementary and Alternative Therapies". It's buried deep in their website and difficult to find - there's no link to it from their home page. Try this direct link www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/ETO_5.asp?sitearea=ETO or else put the word alternative into the search window on the home page at www.cancer.org and look for a link to the section in the search results. If you're thinking of trying a specific alternative or complimentary treatment you've come across on the internet or elsewhere you may find information about it in this section.

Another website that discusses the subject of alternative treatments in some detail is the website of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at www.nccam.nih.gov.

The American Cancer Society has a very good information page giving advice on how to use the internet for finding information on cancer, and how to determine if that information is reliable. The direct link to it is Cancer Information on the Internet.

CaringBridge at www.caringbridge.org and CarePages at www.carepages.com are two websites that enable you to create your own free personalised webpages and develop your own internet community for yourself or someone you are supporting. These websites are very popular and worth checking out if you or someone you know has been visited by cancer and would like a rallying place on the internet.

Don't know what a cancer-related word or term means or need to check spelling? The National Cancer Institute (US) has an online cancer dictionary with more than 4,000 terms related to cancer and medicine at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.

You can find guides to the best websites for other cancer types on my website www.bestcancersites.com.

More suggestions please

If you know of any other good skin cancer websites large or small, or active forums (message or discussion boards) or mailing lists on skin cancer you would like to see added to this page, or you find any errors or broken links, please send me an email at everest@bestcancersites.com

Ed Everest, Adelaide, Australia.

Page updated 6th September 2006

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Australian Skin Cancer Websites

Some of the best cancer websites around the world are run by volunteers - many of them cancer survivors - and providing support and information is at the heart of their websites. Notwithstanding the prevalence of skin cancer in Australia, there do not appear to be any comprehensive Australian-based skin cancer websites run by volunteers or support groups. So to find support and information relevant to Australia you are going to have to do some foraging. Fortunately for most purposes it does not matter where a skin cancer website is based around the world, so the sites I have described above should provide much of the support and information you are likely to want.

We do have a very good skin cancer prevention and education program in Australia - it may be the best in the world. This is led by the Victoria Cancer Council’s SunSmart program, and you can find out all about it on their excellent website at www.sunsmart.com.au. As well as detailed information about their prevention programs, there is also some information about diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers.

New entry 26th August 2008: The Sydney Melanoma Unit website at www.smu.org.au - I haven't had a chance to check their website out yet so I will quote from the Adelaide Melanoma Unit website Resources page: "Sydney Melanoma Unit This is located in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and is the largest centre for the treatment of melanoma in the world. It has an international reputation for high quality patient care, research on melanoma and is also involved in community and medical practitioner education about melanoma and other skin cancers."

Another valuable website giving information about diagnosis and treatment of melanoma within Australia is the website of the Adelaide Melanoma Unit. Its address is www.rah.sa.gov.au/cancer_info/melanoma/, and it's worth browsing wherever you live in Australia. You can also find contact details if you are considering the Adelaide Melanoma Unit for diagnosis and treatment.

They say “The AMU was established in 1997 and officially opened in 1999 as a specific unit of the Royal Adelaide Hospital to co-ordinate clinical treatment, research and education of doctors and the public concerning melanoma. It brings together expertise from specialists in many areas."
"The principal aims of the AMU are to educate doctors in practice and training and inform patients and their families about melanoma; to better treat patients with melanoma and their families; and importantly to foster research into better treatments for melanoma both in the laboratory, clinic and operating theatre.”

If you go to this Cancer Council Australia webpage
www.cancer.org.au/Healthprofessionals/clinicalguidelines/skincancer.htm , you can find links to clinical guidelines for the treatment of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers in Australia (both under review on 24th August 2007 when I last checked).

As mentioned above, a physician-friendly set of clinical guidelines for the treatment of skin cancers prepared by The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (USA) can be found by going to this webpage www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/default.asp. You can find a patient-friendly set of clinical guidelines for the treatment of melanoma prepared by the The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (USA) and the American Cancer Society here:
www.nccn.org/patients/patient_gls/_english/_melanoma/contents.asp

If you would like to participate in a forum (message or discussion board) devoted to skin cancer I recommend you go to the forums I have given links to in the first section of this webpage. As far as I know there are presently no active forums with many members devoted to skin cancer based in Australia.

Australia General php page Other Australian websites you may find valuable

The biggest cancer-related organisation in Australia is "Cancer Council Australia" - an umbrella organisation that encompasses a Cancer Council based in each state and territory. The link to their home page is www.cancer.org.au where there is a variety of information relating to cancer in Australia, and links to each state-based Council website.

The state-based Council websites are valuable sources of information about locally-based support groups, and a variety of other services they may offer, such as phone-in support, peer support, and discussion of different kinds of treatments. You can find links to the state and territory Cancer Council sites here www.cancer.org.au/aboutus/ourmembers.htm. If you are looking for a cancer support group in your area you may be able to locate one by searching on your state or territory Cancer Council website.

The Cancer Council New South Wales runs a large website at www.cancercouncil.com.au and it's well worth checking out whether or not you live in NSW.

The Cancer Institute (NSW) was established in 2003 by an act of parliament called The Cancer Institute (NSW) Act 2003. Some of its objectives as stated in the Act are "to reduce the incidence of cancer in the community ... to improve the quality of life of cancer patients and their carers ... to operate as a source of expertise on cancer control for the government, health service providers, medical researchers and the general community".

Their website is at www.cancerinstitute.org.au. "The Cancer Institute NSW is Australia's first statewide, government supported cancer control agency." They have developed a Cancer Services Directory which "aims to bring together information on treatment, services and support for patients and their carers". It includes the following publications:
- an online listing of cancer treatment centres in NSW;
- "A-Z Directory of Support Groups 2005 (4.9mb PDF): A list of support groups operating in suburbs, towns and cities throughout New South Wales and the services they offer";
- "Accomodation Guide 2005 (636kb PDF): A directory of accommodation providers near to all the major cancer treatment centres in New South Wales";
- "A-Z Directory of Cancer Publications 2005: Lists over 200 cancer publications, a summary of each brochure's contents and details of how to obtain them."

There are some other publications including The Cancer Prevention Plan ("This booklet provides simple guidelines to help reduce your risk of cancer"), cancer statistics for NSW, the NSW Cancer Plan 2007 - 2010, news releases, and a variety of other information for patients, researchers and health professionals.

They also run a website called CI-SCaT (Cancer Institute NSW Standard Cancer Treatments) here
"Welcome to CI-SCaT ... One goal of the NSW Cancer Plan 2007-2010 is to ensure that clinical practice is evidence-based and research driven. This site provides clinicians with chemotherapy cancer protocols, including the evidence, cost, and drug dose calculation. In addition, patients and their carers can find detailed information on their treatments and its side-effects."

For anyone involved with cancer in Australia and looking for information on the internet, whether you've been diagnosed with cancer, or are a medical professional, a provider or a researcher, I suggest visiting the Cancer Institute NSW website and browsing or searching for information that may be helpful to you. Their site map page is at www.cancerinstitute.org.au/cancer_inst/sitemap.html.

Info and support for young adults (18 to about 40) with any kind of cancer in Australia

Two new organisations aiming to help young adults with cancer and their supporters Australia-wide are the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation and The Warwick Foundation. They are working to provide information and support that meets the needs and addresses the problems of young adults with cancer, provide social networking, and encourage the medical and related professions and support services to recognise younger adults as an age group with specific and unique needs. They are aiming to reach as many young adults with cancer as possible. These are pretty awesome challenges as you can imagine, and if you can help in any way they would welcome your input.

The I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation (based in the USA) runs a group on Facebook called i[2]y Down Under, created by Shari Falls, at this address www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8492024091, for young adults age 18 to 40. They say:
"Sign up if you'd like to socially network with other young adults via hip, non-clinical and non-threatening events like a bbq and beer, happy hours, cocktail parties and road trips. Stupid Cancer!"
"The focus of i[2]y Down Under is to promote the awareness of young adults, and to advocate on behalf of thier struggles, challenges, needs, desires and goals."
There's more about the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation further up this page here (you can use your back button to return to this point).

Shari has also started a i[2]y Down Under group on MySpace at http://groups.myspace.com/i2yDownUnder.

New entry 24th July 2008: i[2]y now has its own Australian social networking website called i2y Australia, at www.i2yaustralia.ning.com. If you're a young adult with cancer in Australia (or a supporter) this networking website is a must to check out - joining is simple and once you're in you'll have plenty of fellow young Australians to communicate with.

'In My Shoes' - The Warwick Foundation - is a new non profit charitable organization in Australia focusing on supporting young adults (18-40) years on their cancer journey. It was founded by Samantha Lehmann who lost her 35 year old brother Warwick to cancer in 2005. "In memory of my Brother who loved music, his friends, his family and his life, I have set up The Warwick foundation, I believe together we can fight and make a difference for young adults on their cancer journey".

The Foundation's website address is www.thewarwickfoundation.org.au, and the Foundation also has a presence on Myspace at www.myspace.com/thewarwickfoundation and Facebook at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2765515350. Among other activities the Foundation is advocating for a new model of care for adolescents and young adults with cancer, conducting fund-raising events, and connecting young adults on the cancer journey through their 'Find a mate in your shoes' program.
Nikki has started an Australian networking group on the Planet Cancer website called "Australian Network for Young Adults with cancer". It's address is www.myplanet.planetcancer.org/group/australiannetwork. She says "Lets band together and push for better cancer support services in Australia for YOUNG ADULTS up to 40+ years!". She's particularly keen to hear from any young adults in Australia (and their supporters) who've been diagnosed with cancer, about their good and bad experiences of cancer treatment and support services, and their opinions as to how services for young adults can be improved. There's a forum on the group's webpages where you can post your experiences and opinions.

CanTeen is a national support organisation for young people aged 12-24 living with cancer. Here's a couple of quotes from their website:
"CanTeen has nine offices throughout the country, supporting thousands of young people living with cancer. Each Division has an office, dedicated (and very cool) staff, and a hugely important committee driven by CanTeen Members. They each run their own programs and camps, sometimes coming together to run joint activities and providing the opportunity for Members to broaden their peer networks."
"Ranging from week-long summer camps in picturesque locations around Australia for up to 100 CanTeen Members, to locally-based programs focused on the specific needs of different groups of young people living with cancer, CanTeen offers its Members a comprehensive range of support options. Nothing reduces isolation like spending positive time with someone else living in a similar situation."

You can find further details of their programs and other services they offer at www.canteen.org.au.

Within their website they have established The Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Group. They say "Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) with cancer are the lost generation ... when it comes to research, treatment and support - not only in the Australia/New Zealand region but internationally. However, there is now growing momentum for change in the way we treat and support AYA with cancer. The AYACG is an informal interest group for people interested in receiving information and news relating to improving care for adolescents and young adults with cancer. Our primary focus is the Australia and New Zealand region, but all are welcome to join." For more info or to join the group, look for a link to "AYACG site" on Canteen's home page.

The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Victoria has a program for adolescents and young adults with cancer, called onTrac@PeterMac. Their website address is www.petermac.org/ontrac/. "Any young person undergoing cancer care in Victoria is eligible to access the services of the onTrac@PeterMac program". The age range of those eligible is currently 15 to 25 years.

They say: "In recognition of the unmet needs of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer, and as part of its commitment to advancing oncology services, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has pioneered an Australian-first cancer service for AYA called onTrac@PeterMac. It aims to provide optimal treatment, care and support for AYA with cancer and ultimately improve survival rates."

There's further information about OnTrac@PeterMac in an i[2]y Down Under Facebook group discussion board thread here www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=8492024091&topic=3873.

As mentioned elsewhere in this Australian websites section, in late May 2008 the Leukaemia Foundation launched a network for young adults called Revive with a website at www.teamrevive.org. They say "Currently, the Leukaemia Foundation is developing a program throughout Australia to provide education and support to young people and their friends and familes affected by blood cancer. It will focus on evidence-based research to ensure the highest quality of care is available for young adults." Revive is "... intended to be a portal for young people to access information, relevant contacts, share stories and network with each other".

Revive is in early stages of development and they are encouraging young adults and their families and friends to help define the direction of development. If you're a young adult with a blood cancer or a supporter please do explore the Revive website. There's a group of online forums where you can share information and support with fellow Aussies, and maybe contribute your own ideas to the development of Revive.

There's a valuable annotated page of useful links relating to cancer on Denis Strangman’s website 'The Canberra One-Stop Cancer Web-Shop' "Dedicated to helping cancer patients and carers in the ACT and NSW Southern Area health region locate reliable web resources of interest to them." Its address is www.hotkey.net.au/~string/listing.htm - scroll down the home page to find the list of links. Some of the links it lists are to Australia-wide and international sites so it’s worth a visit wherever you are in Australia.

"Look Good...Feel Better" at www.lgfb.org.au.
"... a free community service program dedicated to helping women undergoing treatment for cancer. The purpose of the program is to help women manage the appearance related side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, thereby helping to restore their appearance and self image.
Look Good...Feel Better is an initiative of the member companies of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association of Australia, (CTFA) who established the program in Australia in 1990. Since that time over 32,000 women living with cancer have been helped by the program."

Camp Quality's website at www.campquality.org.au : "Camp Quality is a non profit organisation that is committed to bringing hope and happiness to every child living with cancer, their families and communities through ongoing quality recreational, educational and financial support programs." To register "You must be between the ages of 0-18 years and have been diagnosed with cancer". ... "Camp Quality is an international charity with the first office being established in 1983 in Sydney, Australia. There are 14 offices throughout Australia covering every state and territory. Over 5,000 families each year are supported by Camp Quality; they participate in our camps and other activities. Nationally there will be approximately 185 camps and recreational activities held in Australia in 2005."

Petrea King on the Petrea King Quest for Life Centre and Quest for Life Foundation website at www.questforlife.com.au says "Providing services that assist people to reconnect with their spirit and establish peace in their lives has been my passion since my recovery from leukaemia in 1984. Together with a dedicated team of health professionals, we have been providing services for people living with the challenges of serious, chronic and life-threatening illness, grief, loss and trauma since 1985."
"The Quest for Life Centre was established in its own premises in 1998 in beautiful Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia."

Elsewhere on the website it says "The Quest for Life Foundation was established in 1990 by Petrea King to further her work. Since her recovery from leukaemia in 1984, Petrea has devoted her life to counselling people, facilitating support groups, running residential programs and lecturing widely on health and healing."

You can find details of the Foundation and Centre and their upcoming programs on the website, and you can also listen to some of her past radio interviews on the ABC.

The Gawler Foundation was established as a non-profit organisation in 1983 by Dr Ian Gawler following his recovery from bone cancer. "The Gawler Foundation is committed to an integrated approach to health, healing and wellbeing that includes the body, emotions, mind and spirit. We call this integrative medicine. Our mission is to work within a integrative medical framework to provide access to the best possible instruction and support for the implementation of self-help techniques."

They run the Yarra Valley Living Centre near Melbourne and offer both residential and non-residential programs. You can read about the Foundation and what it has to offer on their website at www.gawler.org "

The Cancer Council NSW has a good Recommended Reading List page on their website for books on cancer, and some links to cancer-related websites too. “We're often asked to recommend good books and websites about cancer. Here is our selection.” The direct link to the page is www.cancercouncil.com.au/editorial.asp?pageid=721

Can Assist (Cancer Assistance Network) formerly known as the Cancer Patients Assistance Society of NSW "... helps cancer patients, predominately from rural NSW, by providing accommodation, comfort, financial assistance and emotional support for patients and their carers."
"For 50 years, Can Assist, the Cancer Assistance Network, has been caring for NSW cancer patients and their families through a network of volunteers and members in 37 Branches across rural and regional NSW. We own and operate three patient care facilities - Jean Colvin Hospital, which is a fully Accredited hospital and located in Darling Point - Sydney, Ecclesbourne which is a bed and breakfast facility for patients and their carers and Lilier Lodge which also caters for cancer patients and their carers and is co-owned with the Cancer Council - located in Wagga Wagga. These facilities are situated close to treating hospitals."
Their web address is www.cancerpatients.com.au.

The Australian website Virtual Cancer Centre at www.virtualcancercentre.com has information about cancers and their treatments, and about drugs used to treat cancers. It's a resource primarily designed for health professionals, but if you are a patient or supporter researching a cancer and its treatments you may find useful information here. "Established in April 2002 virtualcancercentre.com has been compiled by Australian medical professionals and industry to be a comprehensive online cancer information, news and education knowledge hub ...". The website is part of a larger enterprise Virtual Medical Centre at www.virtualmedicalcentre.com.

If you know of any other good skin cancer websites large or small, or active forums (message or discussion boards) or mailing lists on skin cancer you would like to see added to this page, or you find any errors or broken links, please send me an email at everest@bestcancersites.com