There is no lack of information about cancer on the Web. But when it comes to useful information, it's an entirely different story. This is the place for you to share what you think about other cancer websites. Who gets it? Who misses the mark? What you wish they were including on their websites? We urge you to add your own picks to this list, or to add comments about the sites already listed.

Nonprofit cancer organizations

• Angel Foundation: a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial assistance for basic non medical living necessities for cancer patients and their families. The Angel Foundation also offers educational support programs to families as they journey through the cancer experience together.

• A Single Light: a nonprofit organization, run by college students, dedicated to creating an open access database of cancer resources for patients in the San Francisco Bay Area.

• American Cancer Society: The American Cancer Society is the 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. With more than two million volunteers nationwide, the American Cancer Society is one of the oldest and largest voluntary health agencies in the United States.

• American Institute for Cancer Research: a nonprofit organization which supports cancer research focused on diet and prevention.This site is listed with research in its title but only 15% of its budget goes for research. The bulk of its money(53%) goes for "public education". Another 32% of the money is for administration and funding costs.

• American Lung Association: the oldest voluntary health organization in the US, the association fights lung disease in every form, including environmental health.

• Ayurvedic Medicine: the knowledge of Ayurveda has its roots in the Vedas. Ayurveda operates on the precept that various materials of vegetable, animal, and mineral.

• Breast Cancer Network of Strength: a national nonprofit organization with the mission to ensure, through information, empowerment and peer support, that no one (including patients, survivors and caregivers) faces breast cancer alone.
  
  
• Cancer Care: a nonprofit organization which provides support for people with cancer or affected by cancer. Its services include counseling, education, financial assistance, and practical help.

• Caring for Carcinoid Foundation: Caring for Carcinoid Foundation (CFCF) is the leading nonprofit dedicated to discovering a cure for carcinoid cancer. CFCF provides a wealth of information about carcinoid to support patients, families, and friends.

• Chemotherapy and Beyond: Chemo Care is Scott Hamilton’s chemotherapy site that offers the latest chemo information for cancer patients and their families, caregivers and friends.

• ECAware: The Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association. An organization dedicated to raising the awareness of this terrible and increasingly common disease.

• Family Connection: created through the Family Connections Program at Dana-Farber, Family Connections is dedicated to supporting adult cancer patients who are parents and their children.

• Inheritance of Hope: Inheritance of Hope's mission is to increase the well-being and to help overcome despair in the lives of children and families with a parent diagnosed with a terminal illness. Inheritance of Hope achieves its mission by providing superior books and literature, life-changing family retreats, and individual and group ongoing support – spiritually, emotionally and financially. Our products and services provide direct benefits for the children and a proactive, therapeutic focus for the parent. Annually, Inheritance of Hope hosts a Family Retreat offered free of charge to families with a terminally ill parent and children under the age of eighteen. To obtain further information about Inheritance of Hope's services, please visit Inheritance of Hope's website (www.inheritanceofhope.org).

• The Cancer Coalition: provides all sorts of information on cancer prevention.

• The Center for the Study of Services' Guide to Top Doctors: an online database that contains the names of nearly 15,000 specialists recommended by other doctors. You will, however, be charged a fee to access the database on the Internet.

• The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations: rates the quality of and safety of care provided by inpatient healthcare facilities. This site can help you determine whether the facility you're considering is up to snuff.

• The Lance Armstrong Foundation: focuses on survivorship issues as well as activism opportunities and research promotion. Yellow bracelets are the theme.

• The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: is dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services.

• Oncolytics Blog Site dedicated to biotech company developing innovative cancer treatments.

• Prostate Cancer Treatment and Support: Malecare is the national leading non-profit prostate cancer support and treatment information service organization. The website is huge and updated frequently.

• Teal Talk: an online ovarian cancer community with various forums for sharing personal stories, the latest news items related to ovca, treatment options, and general support. The site also has a chat room for registered members.

• Loneliesthour.org A resource dedicated to helping with the first hours after a childhood cancer diagnosis (neuroblastoma). Created by a parent for parents going through the first agonizing hours after receiving a diagnosis of neuroblastoma, the second most common childhood cancer.

Government-run sites

• The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides women with access to free or low-cost mammograms and pap tests. A complete list of program contact information is also available online.

• The Bureau of Primary Health Care is a site which will help you locate a clinic in your state which will provide medical care even if you don't have money or medical insurance.

• The National Cancer Institute is operated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offers information about different types of cancers and available treatments, laboratory studies, clinical trials, genetics research, complementary therapies and more.

• NCI also designates Comprehensive Cancer Centers nationwide in addition to providing information on other cancer centers and hospitals. The website is aimed at both cancer researchers and patients, although its overall tone is scientific.

• The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is dedicated to researching and disseminating information about complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science.

• The National Institutes of Health has a website dedicated to clinical trials. The site is part of a US-government initiative to help patients access new drug trials for cancer treatments. This is an especially valuable resource for patients without health/drug insurance.
  

• The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a Healthfinder's Health Care page on its website that allows you to find a doctor, investigate complaints, and even look into the hospitals in your area.

Financial assistance organizations

• Benefits Checkup searches for any programs for which you may be eligible. The service is free.

• The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services are a Federal agency within the HHS. It helps administer Medicaid, Medicare and The State Children's Health Insurance Program.
  

• The Patient Advocate Foundation helps mediate access to care, maintenance of employment, and financial stability.

• Children Cancer Foundation provides financial support to children in Singapore.

Medical institutes and associations

• The American Academy of Family Physicians provides extensive information about cancer on its website, which is strikingly similar in structure to the NIH’s site.

• The American Board of Medical Specialties lists doctors who have been certified in specific medical specialties.

• The American Medical Association's Doctor Finder includes names and basic background information on potential doctors.
  

• The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care focuses on the accreditation of oupatient facilities.

• The American Society of Clinical Oncology has a searchable database of members. This organization also has a web site for patient support, called People Living with Cancer, www.plwc.org.

• The Dana-Farber Cancer Care Institute provides information about clinical trials and the cutting edge cancer treatments.

• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has information on diseases, clinical trials, and bone-marrow transplantation.
  

• The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center provides treatment, education and outreach services.
  

• The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Care Center offers information about clinical trials, cancer care, and cancer education.

• The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Herbs, Botanicals and Remedies Reference Guide - an in depth, searchable resource so that cancer patients can cross reference herbs and natural remedies to ensure that they only take safe and proven substances that won't contradict their traditional treatment regimens.
  

• The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins is a specialty cancer clinic. It also provides information about clinical trials.

Personal websites

• Steve Dunn's Cancer Guide provides thoughtful information and a personal perspective on cancer issues that seems missing from most cancer sites.

• Live 4 Him- an ovarian cancer survivor's blog with a Christian perspective.
  
  
• BreastCancerVictory.com is the personal diary of a young woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 days before her wedding. She speaks of turning her "lemons" into "lemon meringue pie" and refusing to accept her situation as anything less than an incredibly positive experience.
  

Sites from other countries

• CancerBACUP is a European website which offers cancer information, advice, and support.
  

• Cancer Research UK provides information about cancer care and research for people with cancer and their families. It has a searchable database of current clinical trials, searchable by cancer type.

• The International Union Against Cancer (UICC) is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to fighting cancer. Based in Geneva, UICC is a non-governmental organization.

• The World Health Organization provides information about cancer rates and events.
  

Commercial sites

• The Cancer Information Network describes itself as a site founded to provide support and information to cancer patients and their caregivers. It's got some information on local cancer resources around the country, though it doesn't seem to be very well developed.
  

• CancerSource provides news-article information about cancer. It includes a community room with message boards, opportunities to chat, and newsletters.

• ChooseHope offers a wide selection of services and cancer gift items for patients and their families. Their message is one of hope, humor and inspiration. A large portion of all profits benefit cancer research and services.

• The Day I Found Out provides a community where cancer patients can hear directly from cancer survivors about what it was like the day they found out they had cancer, and how they found the strength to fight it. These moving profiles are designed to give strength and inspiration to cancer patients and their supporters.

Watchdog sites

• Quackwatch is a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating health-related frauds, fads, and fallacies.
  

Miscellaneous

• A Prayer for Cancer Patients
• The American Chronic Pain Association
  
• The American Pain Society
  
• The Mayday Fund
  
• The National Chronic Pain Society
• A Site for Prayer for Cancer Patients
  

See also:

• Online mailing lists
• Message boards
• Movies
• Books, magazines, and journals