When someone is first told

he or she has cancer, the reactions are as varied as the

individuals and types of cancer.

Anger, denial, disbelief,

shock, fear, embarrassment and confusion may all be

experienced. Norma Johnson was told she had colon cancer

via phone while at work - on her wedding anniversary. She

said, "I went into the bathroom and cried." She

and her husband followed through with their get-away

plans for the weekend, but she says, "I cried most

of the time and wouldn't talk about it at first."

Regardless of their initial

reaction, at some point most begin to devour every piece

of literature and information they can find on cancer.

They talk to survivors.

They go to the Internet and scan through the many

thousands of cancer related web sites.

The American Cancer Society

is usually the first source highly recommended by

survivors. The ACS has a comprehensive gathering of

information covering every aspect of cancer. The society

also has a 24-hour information line, 1-800-ACS-2345.

Shirley Bowman, whose

husband had cancer and whose daughter-in-law is currently

battling cancer, said, "You can't do enough to

educate yourself. It's your body - take charge and

find out everything that's out there."

A number of cancer

survivors cautioned against taking every source as the

"gospel." Robyn Smith, breast cancer survivor,

noted, "Some things are outdated. They are

progressing so fast when dealing with cancer that you

have to be careful when assessing the information."

Prior to beginning to

research treatment options and other data, it is

important to have a name for the specific cancer. A

diagnosis of "skin cancer" is too broad for

most research purposes. Carcinoma, adenocarcinoma,

sarcoma are three types of skin cancer. However, each of

these can also be broken down further.

As an example, sarcomas

cancers occur in connective tissue, bone, muscles and

other areas. The treatment options for each of these

could be different.

Talking with other

survivors can make the research process go faster. Many

will have already explored options and be able to give

guidance. They can also tell you what has worked for them

and the potential side effects associated with some

treatments.

The following listing is by

no means complete. It includes a listing of information

resources for understanding cancer, keeping abreast of

statistical data, current proven and alternative

treatments and general research.

- American Cancer Society,

www.cancer.org; 404-816-4994 or 1-800-ACS-2345. The ACS

is the largest source of private, not-for-profit cancer

research funds in the U.S., second only to the federal

government in total dollars spent.

- CancerGuide by Steve

Dunn: www.cancerguide.org

- National Cancer

Institute: www.nci.nih.gov

- Cancer Information

Service: cis.nci.nih.gov; 1-800-4-Cancer A free public

service of the National Cancer Institute; information and

education network.

- National Center for

Complementary and Alternative Medicine: altmed.od.nih.gov

- University of Texas

Center for Alternative Medicine Research in Cancer: www.sph.uth.tmc.edu:8052/utcam

- American Botanical

Council: www.herbalgram.org

- Pharmaceutical

Information Network: pharminfo.com

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