Explore Our Resources

Helping you find the right information online

At Cancer Care of Western New York, we want you to be comfortable with your treatment options and individualized care plan. That is why we encourage all of our patients to learn more about their conditions and treatment plans. To help you find more information, we have put together this comprehensive list of medical links. Additionally, please click on any of these links to download any of these Cancer Care of Western New York materials: Cancer Care of Western New York Brochure Prostate Cancer Patient Handbook Breast Cancer Brochure Breast Cancer Information Sheet Western New York Urology Associates Brochure Central Nervous System (CNS) Information Sheet Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Information Sheet Lung Cancer Information Sheet Bladder Cancer Information Sheet Head and Neck Cancer Information Sheet

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Shared Decision Making Tool

The Mesothelioma Center www.asbestos.com The Mesothelioma Center is an up-to-date resource for all mesothelioma (What is Mesothelioma?) issues ranging from mesothelioma statistics to diagnosis options.

Precautions for personal research on the web

However, before you start to research online, remember that a lot of information you find online is misleading, or simply not true. Many of the online health services were created by companies whose main goal is to make money. Next time you log on to your favorite health care site, look for the sponsor and the advertisers. Then consider whether the information is in your best interest, or whether it is designed to sell you something. If you would like, we can point you to sites where the health care information is reviewed by competent medical professionals.

We suggest the following five criteria to evaluate the sites you visit. These guidelines were developed by George D. Lundberg, M.D., former editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, and health journalist William M. Silberg. Unless you can answer these questions, you should consider any online information unreliable.

Who wrote what you are reading? The site should contain the name of a real person.
Where does that person work? A university? A web business? A product manufacturer? Can you easily find that information on the site?
Was the information created for the website? If not is there clear attribution showing where the information originated?
Who owns the site and who pays for it? The source of money and ownership should be clearly identified.
Can you tell when the article itself was posted, whether it has been updated, and when?

General Cancer Resources

American Cancer Society

www.cancer.org
(800) ACS-2345
101 John James Audubon Pkwy, Amherst, NY 14228
Serving Western New York (please visit cancer.org for other local chapters)

The American Cancer Society is a nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service. The local chapter (located in Amherst) offers numerous programs and services appropriate for cancer patients and their families. These include:

New Voice Club of the Niagara Frontier
Health associations and society referrals, pre- and post-operative hospital peer visitations, free literature, a loan closet, free speech improvement classes, first-aid films and presentations to professional groups, social functions, and a laryngectomy support group.
Look Good… Feel Better
A place where women who are going through cancer treatments can get their makeup done, and attend group sessions to uplift their spirits.

National Cancer Institute

www.cancer.gov The National Cancer Institute engages in certain fundamental activities such as conducting and fostering cancer research; reviewing and approving grant-in-aid applications to support promising research projects on the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer; and collecting, analyzing and disseminating the results of cancer research conducted in the United States and in other countries.

Breast Cancer Resources

BreastCancer.Org

www.breastcancer.org Breastcancer.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information and community to those touched by this disease.

Komen for the Cure

www.komen.org www.komenwny.org (local affiliate website) Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. The website provides information, education and support to those touched by breast cancer.

Lung Cancer Resources

American Lung Association

www.lung.org
The American Lung Association is the oldest voluntary health organization in the United States fighting lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health. The American Lung Association has many programs and strategies for fighting lung disease.

Prostate Cancer Resources

ZERO – The Project to End Prostate Cancer

www.zerocancer.org
The Project to End Prostate Cancer provides comprehensive treatment information to patients, education to those at risk and conducting more free screenings than ever before. They work to increase research funds from the federal government to find new treatments, and they fund research in the pursuit of a better test for the disease.

American Urological Association

www.auanet.org The American Urological Association (AUA), founded in 1902, is the premier professional association for the advancement of urologic patient care, and works to ensure that its more than 16,000 members are current on the latest research and practices in urology. The AUA also pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care by providing a wide range of services—including publications, research, the Annual Meeting, continuing medical education and the formulation of health policy.

Central Nervous System (CNS) Cancer Resources

National Brain Tumor Foundation

www.braintumor.org The National Brain Tumor Foundation is a nationwide, non-profit organization, serving people whose lives are affected by brain tumors. The group is dedicated to promoting a cure for brain tumors, improving the quality of life and giving hope to the brain tumor community by funding meaningful research and providing patient resources, timely information and education.

Other Resources

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society WNY & Finger Lakes Chapter

www.leukemia-lymphoma.org

(716) 834-2578
4053 Maple Road, Suite 110, Amherst, NY 14226
Serving Erie County, Western New York and the Finger Lakes region

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Cancer Coach Program/Cancer Wellness Center

www.cancerwellness.org

(716) 873-0905
1807 Elmwood Avenue, Suite 104, Buffalo, NY 14207
Serving Western New York

The purpose and intent of the Cancer Wellness Center is to help people in their journey with cancer. The Center offers a variety of programs for both patients and caregivers. Programs include Healing Through Music, Healing Through Writing, Guided Imagery, and Spirituality & Healing.

Corporate Angel Network

www.corpangelnetwork.org (914) 328-1313 Westchester County Airport, One Loop Road, White Plains, NY 10604 Serving the entire United States Corporate Angel Network is the only charitable organization in the USA whose sole mission is to ease the emotional stress, physical discomfort and financial burden of travel for cancer patients by arranging free flights to treatment centers, using the empty seats on corporate aircraft flying on routine business.

Life Transitions Center, Inc.

www.lifetransitionscenter.com (716) 836-6460 150 Bennett Road, Cheektowaga, NY 14227 Serving: WNY For more than 30 years, the work of Life Transitions Center has focused on providing counseling, information, support, and resources to anyone concerned about issues related to loss, grief, death, and living with a life-threatening illness. Programs are available for adults, children, and families.

American Medical Association

www.ama-assn.org The American Medical Association was founded in 1847 to “elevate the standard of medical education in the United States.” The founders set very high goals for this new association to advance the science of medicine, to improve the standards for medical education, to develop a program of medical ethics, and to improve the health of the public. They founders reached those goals and set standards that have been upheld by the AMA ever since.

American College of Surgeons

www.facs.org The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. Members of the American College of Surgeons are referred to as “Fellows.” The letters FACS (Fellow, American College of Surgeons) after a surgeon’s name mean that the surgeon’s education and training, professional qualifications, surgical competence, and ethical conduct have passed a rigorous evaluation, and have been found to be consistent with the high standards established and demanded by the College. There is also another category of membership known as “Associate Fellow.” This category was established to provide an opportunity for surgeons who are beginning surgical practice and who meet specific requirements to assume an active role in the College at an early stage in their careers. In addition, there are categories of membership for surgical residents, medical students, and members of the surgical team.

Local Community Services

Erie County Cancer Services Program

www.cspwny.org (716) 858-7376 95 Franklin St. Rm 950, Buffalo, NY 14202 Serving: Erie County This organization offers services for those with little or no health insurance including annual breast and cervical cancer screening services for eligible women, including annual screening mammograms, clinical breast exams, PAP/pelvic exams and breast health education. They also provide colorectal cancer education and annual screening for average risk men and women ages 45-75.