Cancer knowledge online

6 December 2004

A new user-sensitive web portal providing medical and anecdotal information for women with breast cancer and their families has been launched at BreaCAN Women's Health Victoria.

The Breast Cancer Knowledge Online site has been designed by researchers from Monash University working with breast cancer sufferers, BreastCare Victoria and the Breast Cancer Action Group.

The site enables women to choose what kind and how much information they would like and how technical they want it to be.

Chief investigator and head of the School of Information and Management and Systems in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash, Professor Sue McKemmish said their research had found sufferers needed diverse information.

"For instance a young mother who has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and who lives on a farm has quite different needs from an elderly widow in the advanced stages of the disease, living in the city," she said.

"Breast Cancer Knowledge Online is a tool that women and their families and friends can use to find online information on a range of issues relating to breast cancer and related support services as and when they need it.

"It enables users to identify relevant information in terms of variables such as age, ethnicity, location, lifestyle and the stage of their disease. It also provides information that enables users to judge the quality and reliability of the information resources they access."

The site can be found at http://www.bckonline.monash.edu.au.

For further information, contact Professor Sue McKemmish on 9903 1060 or Diane Squires in the media communications office on 9905 5828.