Reliable information & support

Monday 2 February, 2009

Reviewed: A/P Michael Jefford,Consultant Medical Oncologist, Peter Mac; Dr Raymond Snyder, Director of Oncology, St Vincent's Hospital; Beth Wilson, Health Services Commissioner, Victoria; Dr Amanda Hordern, Director, Cancer Information and Support Service. Developed with funding from the Victorian Department of Human Services.

On this page: Searching the Internet Ι Other sources of information Ι Questions to ask your health care team Ι Helplines and other resources Ι Useful websites

People with cancer and their families often seek information about their disease, conventional cancer treatment and complementary and alternative therapies.

Searching the Internet

The Internet is a key and easy source of information. However, with thousands of sites providing information about alternative therapies it can sometimes be hard to know which information is reliable and up to date. Anyone can put up information on the Internet. Sick people and their families are often vulnerable and believe information that offers hope of improvement or cure. So it is important that you make sure that what you are reading is safe and correct.

If you are a confident web user you may be able to spot ‘quackery', false promises and dishonest advertisers. If you are having trouble, look at the following questions. If you answer yes to any of them, research suggests this usually means the site is making some false claims and there is unlikely to be any scientifically based evidence to back them up.

  • Is the site promoting a cure for cancer?
  • Does the site say that there are no or very few side effects?
  • Does the therapy cost a lot of money and can you buy it online?
  • Are there a lot of patient ‘testimonials' on the site?

It is also important to ask your health care team's opinion - if they don't know they should be able to find out. Or call the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20. You could also check the websites of the Therapeutic Goods Administration or the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) (see Useful websites).

Other sources of information

You may also find information in newspapers, television, books, from therapists, health centres and health food stores. Book stores have hundreds of titles around complementary and alternative therapies, including those for cancer. Like the Internet, some will be reliable but others won't be.

If you are unsure about something you hear about or read, call the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20 and speak with a cancer nurse. We have an extensive list of research relating to complementary and alternative therapies. You can also ask your medical team.

Questions to ask your health care team

You may like to take all or some of these questions when you meet with the health care team.

  • What are the differences between complementary and alternative cancer therapies?
  • Which therapies are safe to use?
  • Will the therapy help to prevent or control my symptoms or in other ways improve my health and wellbeing?
  • Which therapies can I use alongside my conventional cancer treatment?
  • Do the therapies have any side effects?
  • Can I use over-the-counter herbs, vitamins and other supplements?
  • Are the therapies or herbal medicinal products available at a competitive price?
  • How do I go about finding a reliable therapist?
  • How can I tell if health information I read on the Internet is true or not?
  • Where do I find information about scientific research into unproven therapies?
  • Who can I talk to about complementary and alternative therapies?

Helplines and other resources

Cancer Council Helpline

This is a confidential service where you can talk about your concerns and needs with a cancer nurse. The cancer nurse can send information and put you in touch with services in your area. Telephone 13 11 20 Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 6 pm.

Heath Services Commissioner

Complaints and information

  • 30th floor 570 Bourke Street Melbourne Vic 3000
  • Telephone: 8601 5200 Toll free: 1800 136 066
  • Fax : 8601 5219
  • Email: hsc@dhs.vic.gov.au  

The Australasian Integrative Medicine Association (AIMA)

The practitioner directory on the website allows you to search for practitioners in each state of Australia and New Zealand.

  • College House 1 Palmerston Crescent South Melbourne Victoria 3205
  • Telephone: 8699 0582  Facsimile: 8699 0584
  • Email: admin@aima.net.au
  • Hours: Monday to Thursday 9 am to 3 pm

Palliative care services

Palliative Care Victoria provides information about palliative care and hospice facilities and services. Telephone 9662 9644.

Support groups

The Cancer Council Helpline can refer you to a support group in your area. Internet and telephone support groups are also available. Telephone 13 11 20.

Multilingual Cancer Information Line

This Cancer Council service is free and confidential. You can call and speak to a specially trained nurse with the help of an interpreter. It is for people with cancer, and people who are close to them. People who speak any language can use the service. For more details see the inside back cover.

Social and pastoral care workers

For information, support and advice, contact your hospital and ask for the social worker or patient services unit. Your local community health centre may also have a social worker on staff, or be able to refer you to a social work service. Pastoral care workers are able to discuss practical and spiritual concerns (from all religious and non-religious viewpoints).

Useful websites

These will allow you to search for reliable information.  

Australian Naturopathic Network

Although not exhaustive, it does have a list of associations for many complementary practitioners.

Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG)

See also the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code 2007.

Australian Regulatory Guidelines for Complementary Medicines (ARGCM)

Clinical trials into complementary and alternative therapies

Information about clinical trials on the Cancer Council Victoria website.

The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is a leading cancer hospital and research centre in New York. Its integrative medicine service was founded in 1999. It carries out research into the effectiveness of complementary therapies for cancer. It has a searchable database of herbs, vitamins and plants. It lists side effects, drug interactions, clinical information and clinical trials.

Medline plus is another US site that has information about complementary and alternative therapies. It is a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. It provides detailed information about herbs and supplements, as well as latest news on various therapies. 

Sometimes trial results can be vague and conflicting. It is not always easy to work out what the results actually mean. If you are having trouble, ask your doctor or contact the Cancer Council Helpline
on 13 11 20.

Herb, vitamins and plant remedies

The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has a searchable database of herbs, vitamins and plants. Also see MedlinePlus.

MD Anderson Cancer Center

This website is offered to help patients and physicians decide how best to integrate such therapies into their care. There is an excellent section called ‘Reviews of therapies', which contains evidence-based reviews of published research studies on a variety of complementary/integrative or alternative cancer therapies.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

NCCAM is a US government funded institution that supports scientific research into complementary and alternative therapies. It also provides training for clinical researchers, and supports schemes to integrate proven therapies into medical training for doctors and nurses. See their section on 10 things to know about evaluating medical resources on the web.   

CAM on PubMed

NCCAM and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) have partnered to create CAM on PubMed, a subset of NLM's PubMed providing journal citations specific to CAM. 

Quackwatch

This is an American non-profit organisation that aims to ‘combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct‘. There is a lot of information about complementary and alternative therapies in cancer care. 

Therapeutic Goods Administration

See the section ‘Medical products and the Internet: A guide to finding reliable information'.

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