As large as it is, OncoLink is well-designed and simple to navigate. Mounted by the National Cancer Institute and frequently updated, it offers a rich variety of government information sources, useful to both health professionals and lay users. This well-conceived large site provides information to breast cancer patients and their families, with a small section geared to health professionals. Information is provided by a partnership of fourteen organizations including the American Cancer Society, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, and a chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. A subject index and an internal search engine allow homing in on a topic.
Links connect to cancer listservs and gophers as well as to regional support groups.
The designers include considerable background information on the site itself. This is one of the strongest of the many women's self-help pages. This smallish site, sponsored by the Michigan State University Cancer Center and its Communication Technology Laboratory, is one of the more imaginative self-help pages. Aimed at women diagnosed with breast cancer, it provides fairly detailed information about Ductal Carcinoma in Situ and invasive cancer, along with interviews with a number of breast cancer survivors. The intent is to create an intimate, friendly experience for the viewer.