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ACS/ASCO Websites Are Cross-Posting Patient Info

In a new collaboration, the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) are cross-posting cancer information for patients on their websites, the groups announced on February 1.

“We’ve made it easier for your patients to get accurate information that will be relevant throughout the entire course of their illness,” ASCO CEO Clifford Hudis, MD, told Medscape Medical News.

Both organizations have information for patients and families, ACS on cancer.org and ASCO on cancer.net, but the strengths of the two sites are different. Instead of duplicating efforts to catch up with each other, the groups decided to share content, Hudis said.

Ultimately, the goal is to “ensure that people can easily find the trusted, expert-approved cancer content they need when turning to either organization for information,” the groups said in the announcement.

ASCO’s survivorship resources went live on ACS’s site February 1, with information “that patients and primary care providers need to plan checkups, cancer tests, and screenings; anticipate late effects of treatment; and improve baseline health after cancer.”

Meanwhile, ACS’s cancer prevention and screening resources are now up on ASCO’s patient site, including the group’s screening guidelines and information about quitting smoking, using sun block, and other issues.

The groups will continue to look for other opportunities to share content.

ASCO’s cancer.net is particularly strong in treatment content, which could be another option to cross-post to ACS, Hudis said.

M. Alexander Otto is a physician assistant with a master’s degree in medical science, and an award-winning medical journalist who has worked for several major news outlets before joining Medscape. He is an MIT Knight Science Journalism fellow. Email: [email protected].

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