A. Use the top navigation bar to find information on

• Specially-selected information via cancer info
• physicians
• facilities/services
• access to care
• support
• survivorship
• statistics
• cancer control and
• links by topic

Here's what's in each:

cancer info

This section provides you the ability to look at/for information about cancer on texascancer.info in different ways. Instead of using the top navigation bar and looking under the actual, specific database/type of data, such as facilities or statistical information, you can look for information from the perspective of who you are or where you are in the continuum of cancer care.

To help direct you to the information you need, we have pre-selected the Texas Cancer Information databases and documents that may interest you if you are seeking:

• Information by Cancer Type
• Cancer Prevention, Screening and Early Detection Information
• Information for Patients Just Diagnosed with Cancer
• Cancer Treatment Information
• Information for Cancer Survivors
• Information for Health, Education and Planning Professionals

You still, of course, have access to all of the databases and documents through the top navigation bar.

physicians

Texas Cancer Information collects and provides information on Texas physicians who have a primary interest in the diagnosis, treatment or continuing care of cancer patients.

facilities/services

Texas Cancer Information provides information on cancer-related facilities and services including hospitals, community cancer treatment centers, mammography services, colon cancer screening services, home health agencies and hospices.

access to care

The goal in the access to care section is intended to reach low-income or uninsured Texans seeking free or low-cost cancer screening or treatment. Texas Cancer Information staff investigated procedures, contacts and clinic locations for screening and treatment for every Texas county and the information is available for download in PDF format in simple language and question and answer format. Social workers or volunteer organizations can also print out this information to give to their clients. TCI is now working on translating these resources into Spanish, starting with counties with the highest Spanish-speaking populations. There are currently Access to Care documents for 31 counties available in Spanish.

support

Texas Cancer Information provides information on national, state and local/community level cancer-related support. Types of support listed include information and referral providers; support groups, counseling and education; transportation, housing, and medical equipment; and access to cancer care for low-income and uninsured patient in Texas counties.

survivorship

The goal of the survivorship section of the site is to provide cancer survivors with access to information that may help address their physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and economic concerns. This section includes a link to the Local/Community Resources database, which contains referral information on support, counseling, education, and additional assistance such as transportation, housing, medical equipment and survivorship services. This section also contains the new Web portal texascancersurvivor.info. The survivorship portal contains links to Web sites and publications that have been reviewed for quality using a predetermined criteria and are organized by survivorship topic and cancer type. These links include Web sites based in Texas as well as those found across the country.

statistics

Texas Cancer Information provides easy access to cancer-related demographics and statistics for Texas and its counties and regions. In this section you will find cancer incidence (coming soon), cancer mortality and age-adjusted rates, graphical PDF profiles of cancer mortality and resources in selected Texas counties and regions, the ability to generate non-graphical profiles for any county in Texas, information on cancer risk factors, and networking information for tumor registrars in the state.

cancer control

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines Comprehensive Cancer Control as a collaborative process through which a community pulls resources together to reduce the burden of cancer. This collaboration results in risk reduction, early detection, better treatment and enhanced survivorship for members of the community. Texas Cancer Information maintains Web sites and databases that provide information regarding cancer control goals and activities throughout the state of Texas.

links by topic

Links by Topic, formerly the Cancer Gateway of Texas, is an Internet portal to cancer-related information, resources, and publications. Links are reviewed for quality using a predetermined criteria and are organized by cancer topic and cancer type. These links include Web sites based in Texas as well as those found across the country. Texas based sites are identified by a small Texas icon.

A. Individual entities in the databases are surveyed on an annual basis. Databases are surveyed on a schedule throughout the year. Survey results from all the databases are being entered on an ongoing basis. New data is moved on-line weekly. As new information regarding a facility or individual is obtained between scheduled surveys, this information is updated and the information date specified with that entry's listing is updated accordingly. Cancer deaths and rates are updated annually as available and population is updated as new projections are available (either annually or biannually).

The date in the web site footer under "Site last updated" represents the last date any on-line data or Web pages were updated or added. Please see the answer to the question regarding ensuring your browser is showing you the current footer in the technical questions section of this FAQ document.

A. No. Texas Cancer Information is currently funded to maintain information on only Texas resources, services and statistics.

A. There is no charge for using the Texas Cancer Information Web site. There is also no charge to cancer resource providers (physicians, hospitals, etc.) for having their information listed in the resource databases. Texas Cancer Information is funded by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a grant from The University Cancer Foundation.

A. Please visit our Contact Us page for complete contact information.

A. In most cases, you will click on the database you wish to search (physicians, hospitals, etc.). You will then be taken to a page containing a form. Fill out the form by selecting the Texas Region in which you are interested (Texas, county, etc.). If you have chosen a region other than Texas, select the number or name of your region or county from the associated drop down list or enter the city, name, or zip code as appropriate in the associated text box (Dallas, 77030, Jones, etc.). Then make selections regarding any other options available (specialty, accreditation, etc.). For resource/provider databases, you may also select whether you want to List Search Results as a Quick List of just the names and cities of the providers that meet your criteria or see Summary Information about each provider. When you have made all your selections, click on the Submit Query button.

For resource databases, summary information or names and cities for database entries which match your search criteria will then appear in alphabetical order by city. If you want more information about any one entry listed, simply click on the person/facility name (hypertext link) and a complete listing for the entry will appear.

If you do not get any matches to the search criteria you specified, check that you have both clicked on the appropriate button for your region and supplied a valid value in the corresponding list/text box for that region. If you still do not get any matches, try expanding your search by selecting a larger geographic region or by being less restrictive with other criteria.

A. Move your mouse to the top navigation bar and "hover" over the words facilities/services until the blue menu bar appears below it. Move the mouse down to hover over the word Mammography. The word will change from white text on a blue background to blue text on a white background. Click on the word Mammography. You will be taken to the Mammography Services page.

Under Mammography Services Search Criteria, you will

• select which Texas Region you are interested in,

• whether you want to include only those services that offer a Sliding Scale Fee Based on Income,

• whether you want only those services that accept Self-Referred Patients

• and whether you want to List Search Results as a Quick List of names and cities or as Summary Information.

To search for a service in your city, you will:

• click on the radio button next to City for the Texas Region. (You could select Zip Code instead but, if there are many zip codes in your city there may be no facilities/services located in your exact zip code.)

• In the space next to City type the name of your city, replacing the text that says "-- type city name here --." For example, highlight "-- type city name here --" and then type "Abilene" (no quotes).

• If you are looking for a low-cost mammogram based on income, click the radio button for Services with Sliding Scale Fee Available next to the prompt Sliding Scale Fee Based on Income:.
• If you will not be getting a referral from a physician for a mammogram, click on the button for Services which Accept Self-Referred Patients next to the Self-Referred Patients prompt.
• If you just want to see a list of mammography service of names and cities, click on Quick List next to the List Search Results prompt. If you would like to see more information about each of the mammography services that fit your search criteria, such as complete contact information and charges for screening and diagnostic mammograms, click on Summary Information (which should already be selected as the default, if this is your first search).

• When you have selected all of your options, click on the Submit Query button.

Summary information or a quick list of services in your city will appear in alphabetical order. If you want even more information about a particular facility, click on the hypertext link for that facility (the facility's name). The expanded information on that mammography service will open in another browser window. If no services are listed for your city, try your search again, this time selecting County and choosing your county's name from the adjacent drop down list.

A. If the Web search has definitely stopped and the only information on your screen is your search criteria at the top and the Update My Information graphic and bottom navigation bar on the bottom, then there were no entries matching your search criteria. If you do not get any matches to the search criteria you specified, check that you have both clicked on the appropriate button for your region and supplied a valid value in the corresponding list/text box for that region. If you still do not get any matches, try expanding your search by selecting a larger geographic region or by being less restrictive with other criteria.

A. There is no charge to be listed as a cancer resource provider in the Texas Cancer Information resource databases. Contact us via e-mail at info@texascancer.info and a staff member will contact you regarding the appropriate survey for a new listing or to verify any changes you wish to make. You may also call and talk to a staff member directly at (713)792-2277 or fax a request for a new listing to (713)794-4685.

A. To update your listing in one of the Texas Cancer Information resource databases, scroll to the bottom of any page on the site and click on update my info on the bottom navigation bar. You may also click on the Update My Information! icon at the bottom of the resulting listings after searching any of the cancer resource provider databases. Once you have reached the Update My Information! page, click on the name of the appropriate Information Update Form, such as Physician Information Update Form. You will need to have your assigned ID Number and Password handy. If you forgot your ID number or password, follow the instructions on the screen to have a new password automatically e-mailed to you or e-mail info@texascancer.info for assistance. You may only request the automated password be sent if you have previously successfully changed your password online and/or entered your password question and answer.

A. The Texas Cancer Cancer Data (now Texas Cancer Information) maintains lists and links regarding training opportunities, seminars, and events involving cancer which are available to Texans. Announcements and events may apply to health professionals, patients, patients' families and friends, or the general public. If you have an announcement or event which you would like to share with Texans with a special interest in cancer, please e-mail us at info@texascancer.info and someone will get in touch with you for more details. You may also call us at (713)792-2277.

A. From the top navigation bar, hover over support and then click on Local/Community Resources on the blue navigation bar that appears below it. When the Local/Community Information and Support Resources page appears, for Texas Region: select Serves County and select your county name from the drop down list. Then for Community Resource Category: select, for example, Additional Assistance - Financial. select whether you want to List Search Results as a Quick List of just the names and cities of the resources that meet your criteria or see Summary Information about each resource. When you have made all your selections, click on the Submit Query button. When all the results have appeared on your screen you may print the information from your browser print command. You may then wish to do additional searches on other categories.

A. If you have not searched the Texas Cancer Information physician database under physicians, try that first. You can search by the physician's last name. If you do not know how to spell his/her name, try searching on his/her city or county or specialty. If he/she still does not show up, we probably do not have information on that particular physician.

A. You can select to do custom comparisons of mortality from different cancers in your county and other regions, including Texas as a whole, on the Statistics page. There are several other statistical topics on this page which you may find useful.

A. Texas Cancer Information added Texas Cancer Incidence data to the Web site in the fall of 2007. There is currently limited survival data available in the on-line publication of Texas Cancer Facts & Figures 2008 Enhanced PDF and Supporting Data. The Texas Cancer Facts & Figures 2008 publication represents the collaboration of several key Texas partners including:

• American Cancer Society, High Plains Division
• Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
• Cancer Therapy and Research Center at UT Health Science Center (UTHSC) at San Antonio
• Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine
• Texas Cancer Information
• Texas Cancer Registry, Center for Health Statistics and Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, Texas Department of State Health Services and
• The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

The partnership publication is intended to assist healthcare organizations, health professionals, community groups, and others who are working to reduce the burden of cancer in Texas. It may also be of interest to policy-makers, advocates, and news organizations who seek detailed, easy-to-read information about the impact of cancer on Texans.

A. The link selection criteria for the Links by Topic includes:

• Cancer Related
  
  
• Educational/Informational - Purpose is primarily educational and/or informational. (Site is not overtly commercial. However, site may charge shipping and handling costs to cover mailing or production of materials.)
  
  
• Responsibility - institution, organization, author, or sponsor is clearly identified.
  
  
• Content - Content should have sources of information and credentials of authors indicated. Caveats and disclaimers are included and easily found. Dates that content was posted and updated should be indicated and easily found. Site is user-friendly and provides information that is relevant to the audience.
  
  
• Credibility of Information - for example, reputation of hosting entity, accuracy of information, and/or scientific basis - expert opinion vs. systematic controlled studies, etc. as appropriate to subject matter.
  
  
• Accessible - The site is consistently available and maintained. The site is accessible to the commonly used browsers, i.e., Internet Explorer and Firefox.
  
  
• Feedback - feedback mechanism is easily available to users whether by phone, fax or e-mail.

A. If you would like to suggest a link for inclusion in the Links by Topic, please e-mail info@texascancer.info. All proposed links are reviewed according to the predetermined criteria above to assess the overall quality and usefulness of the information found on each site.

A. A good source of information is What Should I Ask My Doctor About Cancer? on the American Cancer Society Web site. You may also wish to call the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER. They will be able to answer some of your questions and perhaps send you information on the particular cancer.

A. The Cancer Risk Factors page contains questions and answers that provide information regarding cancer risk factors and where to find more information on cancer risk behaviors. The Cancer Prevention, Screening and Early Detection Information page provides access to Texas Cancer Information databases and documents and external websites that are related to cancer prevention, screening and early detection. Some of the databases and documents included are Mammography Services, Colorectal Cancer Screening Services and Cancer Risk Factors. You also will find suggestions on how to search the databases for the information you need.

A. Texas Cancer Information does not maintain this type of information. TCI does not offer any medical advice. All medical information found via texascancer.info and its associated links should be reviewed with a health-care provider.

A. The footer is a site-wide document that is displayed at the bottom of each HTML page except those generated via database searches. Different browsers handle the footer in different ways. To ensure that you have the most current footer and information date displayed, first reload or refresh the page from your browser to make sure that you are not using a cached version of the page you are viewing. If that still doesn't work, you will probably have to delete your cached files. In Internet Explorer, click on Tools then Internet Options. On the General tab, in the middle of the panel, you will see a section labeled Temporary Internet Files. Click on the Delete Files... button. Then click on Ok. When you return to the web page, click on the Refresh button, and the latest footer should be displayed along with the latest version of the web page.

A. Pages generated when you submit your search criteria expire after a short time. Press the Reload button and the results will be recalculated.