My doctor said "PDQ" is a good source of cancer information. What is this?

PDQ is a comprehensive, computerized cancer information database that is maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It is updated monthly by cancer experts from across the country.

PDQ provides summaries of the latest information about treatments for more then 80 types of cancer, prevention and screening, as well as problems and conditions linked to cancer and its treatment. PDQ does not recommend specific treatments, but lists choices. The database also contains descriptions of ongoing cancer clinical trials (research studies with people) involving new treatments, supportive care, and screening and prevention.

Comprehensive PDQ summaries are available for health professionals, and easy-to-understand summaries are available for patients and their families and the public. You can obtain PDQ information by:

• Phone: Call the Cancer Information Service (CIS) at 1-800-4-CANCER.

• Internet: Visit the NCI's CancerNet Web site at http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov and its cancerTrials Web site at http://cancertrials.nci.nih.gov.

• Fax: Fax a request for PDQ information to CancerFax, Bethesda, Md., at any time. To obtain a contents list, dial 1-800-624-2511 (toll-free) from a touch-tone telephone or a fax machine with hand set and follow the recorded instructions.

• E-mail: CancerMail provides PDQ information and other materials via e-mail. To obtain a contents list, send an e-mail message to cancermail@cips.nci.nih.gov with the word "help" in the body of the message.

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