Breast Cancer On-Line (BCO) at www.bco.org is a multidisciplinary website based in the United Kingdom that may be useful to practicing oncologists, nurses, and scientists working in the field of oncology. The editor-in-chief is John Robertson, professor of surgery at City Hospital, in Nottingham, and the editorial board comprises an international team of prominent physicians.
Supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca, BCO is comprehensive and regularly updated. Among its features are interactive modules that contain a number of excellent resources. For example, Journal Club offers recent articles by both clinicians and scientists, accompanied by critical reviews. Journal Watch is a monthly update of articles relevant to breast cancer care.
Expert Opinion invites readers to submit clinical cases for expert comment and reader feedback as well. The Focus On department provides timely, concise, and referenced reviews of current topics (such as pain in the breast cancer patient) and also invites reader feedback.
Educational Modules
The website’s educational modules include a multiple-chapter Nurse Education section dedicated to nurses in cancer care and a fully archived Case Studies section that allows readers to consider interesting clinical cases. These areas are informative and allow professionals to test their knowledge and receive quick feedback. Further opportunities for self-assessment are provided in the Visual Library section, a unique array of radiologic and histopathologic images based on various clinical themes.
Other useful features include a conference calendar and a variety of conference reports, which summarize the major findings presented at half a dozen major oncology meetings. The report on the Miami Breast Cancer Conference, for example, contains "quick takes" of major points emphasized at the meeting. The Breast Cancer News section contains a year’s worth of highlights.
Links to Other Resources
A larger database can be accessed through the Information section. In fact, the reader has access to Medline, Grateful Med, PDQ, and a host of cancer resources, including several cancer journals, some of which contain full text. Lastly, there are numerous links to online cancer sites, both for professionals and consumers, with quick access.
A 70-year-old man with a history of localized prostate cancer treated with whole-pelvis radiation therapy with a boost to the prostate, in conjunction with androgen deprivation therapy 7 years prior, presented with lower back pain. A bone scan revealed an area of activity in the sacrum. What is the most likely diagnosis?
