Main description:

According to the American Cancer Society, over 10 million Americans have a history of cancer - and the over 100 distinct forms of cancer affect those individuals and their families in very different ways. When patrons come to your library with cancer-related questions, will you be prepared with the best resources for them to consult? Now, the Medical Library Association and Ruti Volk (Manager of the Patient Education Resource Center at the University of Michigan's Comprehensive Cancer Center) have assembled an authoritative guide to the best cancer information resources for all levels of readers. Chapters are devoted to both specific types of cancer - breast, brain, colon, liver, lung, lymphoma, melanoma, childhood cancers, and more - and cancer-related topics - chemotherapy, radiation, herbal supplements, nutrition, fertility, talking with children about cancer, etc. and contain a general introduction to the topic with an overview of the information needs of patients and caregivers. For each type of cancer, the author provides an invaluable annotated list of resources, including pamphlets, brochures, consumer health titles, book chapters, reference sources, videos, CD-ROMs, Web sites, and more, that incorporates both introductory works and more advanced treatments. Additional resources such as cancer patient organizations and online listservs are also featured. Whether utilizing as an aid in cancer-related searches or as a tool for building a consumer health collection, this unique guide will help any public, academic, or medical library better meet the health information needs of their users.