The nonprofit Breastcancer.org has launched its first-ever iPhone application for breast cancer patients, allowing them to receive customized research news based on their diagnosis.
The Breast Cancer Diagnosis Guide is a free mobile app that walks users through the breast cancer pathology report — a vital report that sets the patient’s treatment path.
In addition to educating users on the terms in their pathology report and other tests, Breastcancer.org’s Breast Cancer Diagnosis Guide allows them to input their own pathology report results so they can receive research news, information, and articles specific to their diagnosis.
“This is truly groundbreaking,” said Marisa Weiss, MD, director of breast radiation oncology at Lankenau Hospital and president and founder of Breastcancer.org. “There is no ‘one size fits all’ treatment plan. A breast cancer patient’s pathology report helps each patient customize her treatment course to the exact nature and extent of her specific cancer diagnosis … from deciding on what kind of surgery to evaluating the role of radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal, and targeted therapies, and potential participation in clinical trials.”
“What’s particularly exciting about the Breastcancer.org Breast Cancer Diagnosis Guide is that it takes the understanding a step further by allowing patients to get background information and research news that is directly relevant to her particular diagnosis and situation,” Weiss said. “This is profoundly important as breast cancer treatment and surveillance plans become more personalized.”
The ability to customize the mobile app to receive extremely relevant information represents the next evolution of Breastcancer.org’s mission, according to Weiss.
Weiss said Breastcancer.org is the leading online resource for breast health and breast cancer information and support, publishing over 6,000 pages of expert-reviewed content on all aspects of breast cancer.
“The iPhone mobile app makes the experience even more personalized for the user,” she said.
“I wish I had this mobile app the moment I received my first pathology report. It would have eased my anxiety tremendously and helped me feel more confident knowing the right questions to ask,” said Nancy French, a breast cancer survivor from Silverthorne, Colorado. “Despite my 14 years living with breast cancer, I actually learned even more about breast cancer by using this mobile app … things that did not get discussed with my medical team. I was very impressed by the Breast Cancer Diagnosis Guide. This is exactly the kind of tool women with breast cancer need.”
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