Patient Education Resource Guide

Receiving news about a diagnosis or treatment may make you want to go directly to the medical literature to see what studies have been done and what has been written. Because they are fairly easy to use and free to access, we recommend you start searching for articles with the following.

• National Library of Medicine (NLM): PubMed
  • PubMed is a free search engine with millions of records on life science and biomedical topics. Not all articles you find here will include the abstract (i.e., summary) or a link to the full text of the paper, but it is a great place to start. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains this database. They have a PubMed User Guide to answer common questions and Tutorials: PubMed is a playlist of videos on their YouTube channel to show you how it works.
• National Library of Medicine (NLM): PubMed Central (PMC)
  • PMC is a part of PubMed, and the added benefit of searching here specifically is that all the articles you find will link to the full text of the paper.

If you are a member of the MSK patient community and are having a hard time finding or accessing something, the MSK Library is here to help you. Please reach out via our library Ask Us help page.

Another helpful way to learn about a type of cancer or treatment is by going to resources where everything is in one place. After visiting MSK's Cancer Types page and the Patient & Community Education virtual library, you may want to explore elsewhere online, and we recommend the following.

Suggested sites to start learning about cancer:

• National Library of Medicine (NLM): MedlinePlus: Cancer
  • Straightforward information on the basics of cancer and a gateway for exploring other cancer-related topics. Linked pages include Cancer--Living with Cancer, Cancer Chemotherapy, Cancer Immunotherapy, and Radiation Therapy, and you can use the search bar in the upper right to find additional pages on specific cancers. Also available in Spanish. Cancer - Multiple Languages is a page that lists cancer topics available in languages other than English.
• National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN): Patient Resources
  • Free guidelines to help you understand your cancer diagnosis and treatment options, webinars on specific cancers, and information on finding advocacy groups and navigating cancer costs and challenges. Translations for these patient guidelines are available in other languages.
• Children's Oncology Group (COG): Patients and Families
  • Resources on childhood and adolescent cancer, including information on types and treatments, support and guidance, clinical trials, and the COG Family Handbook in a number of languages.

Other sites with clear and comprehensive information about cancer:

• National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • A part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), here you have the opportunity to explore cancer care, learn more about specific cancers, and see what research is being done. You can also connect with information experts to ask questions by phone, LiveHelp chat, or email. Also available in Spanish: Instituto Nacional del Cáncer and LiveHelp en español.
• American Cancer Society (ACS)
  • This site offers extensive information in its Cancer A-Z topics, treatment and support resources, and a cancer helpline by phone or chat. Information is available in other languages.
• OncoLink
  • A site with information on cancer types and treatments, various support topics, and resources for survivorship, including a cancer survivorship care plan builder. Also available in Spanish.
• CancerCare
  • Offers a variety of support options, including resource navigation, the ability to search by diagnosis or topic, and a service where you can pose questions to a monthly expert. Also available in Spanish.
• Cancer Support Community
  • Various forms of support and information for those newly diagnosed, in treatment, post-treatment, or supporting someone experiencing cancer.

Medical literature can be full of complicated and confusing wording. We recommend the sites below to get a better sense for what you are reading.

• National Library of Medicine (NLM): MedlinePlus: Medical Encyclopedia
  • A medical encyclopedia of over 4,000 articles on diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries.
• Harvard Medical School: Harvard Health Publishing: Health A to Z
  • A medical dictionary created by Harvard Medical School faculty of over 500 conditions and diseases.
• Merriam-Webster: Medical Dictionary
  • A medical dictionary where you can click on the speaker symbol next to each term to hear it pronounced.