Cancer Care, Inc. Produces "Briefs" to Help Patients Cope With Side Effects, Understand Clinical Trials, Find Local Resources, and More

Cancer Care, Inc., a voluntary cancer agency dedicated to providing supportive services for people with cancer and their families, is providing copies of Cancer Care Briefs—single-page information sheets that help cancer patients cope with their illness—free to callers to their 800 support and counseling line.

Covering topics such as "How to Find Resources in Your Community If You Have Cancer," "Practical Tips for People With Cancer Who Are Experiencing Nausea or Have Lost Their Appetite," and "Your Health Care Team: Your Doctor Is Only the Beginning," Cancer Care Briefs reflect Cancer Care's experience providing direct services to cancer patients and their families for more than 50 years.

"Now, we have been able to produce a series of short informational pieces, or briefs, that convey much that we have learned about helping people with cancer. These aren't meant to replace our services, but to supplement them and offer help to people having specific problems or questions about what to do or expect," says Cancer Care Executive Director Diane Blum, a certified oncology social worker.

The Briefs are available free of charge by calling the Cancer Care Counseling Line toll-free at 1-800-813-HOPE (1-800-813-4673) from anywhere in the United States. Titles include:

• Breast Cancer—A Mammogram Can Help Save Your Life
• Don't Be Afraid of Clinical Trials: They Could Improve the Quality of Care You Receive
• Be an Effective Advocate for Yourself or Someone You Care About
• Practical Tips for People With Cancer Who Are Experiencing Nausea or Have Lost Their Appetite
• What Are Experimental Treatments for People With Cancer? Are They Safe? Are They Effective? Are They Covered by Insurance?
• HMOs and Other Managed Care Plans
• Your Health Care Team: Your Doctor Is Only the Beginning
• How to Find Resources in Your Own Community If You Have Cancer

Callers to Cancer Care can also receive one-to-one phone counseling, join a telephone support group, participate in educational teleconferences on specific subjects, request other informational resources, or get referrals to local resources.