PHILADELPHIA — OncoLink®, a free cancer information website developed by experts at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center has launched a redesigned website based on the search habits and feedback from patients, caregivers and health care providers who use the site. Enhanced, interactive features provide access the most up-to-date information on cancers of all kinds, and allows users to develop personalized survivorship plans, and review the latest cancer research more easily.
The redesign comes just in time for the 18th anniversary of the site, which was the Internet's first cancer information resource. OncoLink's designers and a team of dedicated nurses and physicians implemented a new navigation system to make it easier for both patients and healthcare providers to rapidly locate the information they're seeking. Using a new "slide show" feature, any user searching for information — whether they are newly diagnosed with a specific disease, are curious about their cancer risk, are currently receiving treatment, or are a cancer survivor — can select a visual starting point based on their specific needs. Interactive tools available throughout the site help patients search and filter more than 75,000 pages of cancer-related content — a boon to patients and families who may be overwhelmed by the array of potentially unreliable or confusing cancer information on the web.
"The new design and features are based on how users are searching for their information," says James Metz, MD, an associate professor and chief of clinical operations in the department of Radiation Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine, who serves as editor-in-chief of OncoLink. "We took a close look at statistics and analytics to gauge what users are searching for the most, and how they are finding that information. The redesign puts content front and center. Our goal is to empower patients and healthcare providers to obtain the resources they are looking for instantaneously."
Recent changes to the site include enhancements to interactive tools for patients, including:
- What's My Risk: A program designed to help users learn about factors that determine their personal risk of many types of cancer and what they can do to decrease that risk.
- LIVESTRONG Care Plan: Online tool that provides cancer survivors, their family members or their health care provider with an easy-to-follow roadmap for managing their health as they finish treatment and transition to life as a survivor.
- Clinical Trials Matching Service: A search tool that helps patients quickly learn about and evaluate research studies across the nation for which they may be eligible. A telephone matching service is also available.
The new site also offers a comprehensive Healthcare Professional's Section, which includes:
- Nurses Notes: Resources for nurses including patient handouts, newsletters and practice information.
- Patient Education Center: Free handouts covering side effects, medications and procedures.
- Conferences: Coverage of the annual scientific meetings of the oncology societies, a calendar of global cancer related meetings.
- OncoLink University: Teaching guides for students at all levels and a core oncology related course for medical students entitled MD2B.
OncoLink is dedicated to providing the latest information on cancer risk, treatment and research. The site provides patient-friendly content developed by healthcare providers, patients and survivors, allowing users to become educated about risk, and have informed discussions with their healthcare providers, and make plans that give them the best shot at living a healthy life as both a cancer patient and survivor.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
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