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ASTRO launches redesigned patient Web site
Fairfax, VA
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has launched a redesigned version of its patient Web site, RTanswers.org.
RTanswers.org began in 2004 as a way to explain to cancer patients and their family and friends how radiation therapy is used to treat cancer safely and effectively. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be frightening and confusing, so physicians and other members of the radiation therapy treatment team created RTanswers.org as a one-stop site where patients can receive radiation therapy information.
The newly redesigned site is now easier to navigate and includes numerous photos of radiation therapy equipment and the treatment process. The site also contains an updated treatment information section with disease site specific information, an improved find a radiation oncologist feature and an expanded dictionary of radiation therapy terms. Included is a list of questions patients may want to ask their doctor before starting treatment as well as what patients can expect before, during and after radiation therapy treatments.
"Patients deserve to be completely informed of every detail of their cancer diagnosis and their radiation therapy treatments," Greg Patton, M.D., immediate past chair of ASTRO's Communications Committee, said. "While we try our hardest, physicians may not be available at all times to go over details of how radiation therapy equipment works or to provide names of support groups, so RTanswers is available for patients to get physician-approved information 24/7 from their computer. It's a very valuable resource, and I hope patients and their loved ones take advantage of it."
ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on radiation therapy, visit www.rtanswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org.
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RTanswers.org began in 2004 as a way to explain to cancer patients and their family and friends how radiation therapy is used to treat cancer safely and effectively. Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be frightening and confusing, so physicians and other members of the radiation therapy treatment team created RTanswers.org as a one-stop site where patients can receive radiation therapy information.
The newly redesigned site is now easier to navigate and includes numerous photos of radiation therapy equipment and the treatment process. The site also contains an updated treatment information section with disease site specific information, an improved find a radiation oncologist feature and an expanded dictionary of radiation therapy terms. Included is a list of questions patients may want to ask their doctor before starting treatment as well as what patients can expect before, during and after radiation therapy treatments.
"Patients deserve to be completely informed of every detail of their cancer diagnosis and their radiation therapy treatments," Greg Patton, M.D., immediate past chair of ASTRO's Communications Committee, said. "While we try our hardest, physicians may not be available at all times to go over details of how radiation therapy equipment works or to provide names of support groups, so RTanswers is available for patients to get physician-approved information 24/7 from their computer. It's a very valuable resource, and I hope patients and their loved ones take advantage of it."
ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on radiation therapy, visit www.rtanswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org.
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Beth Bukata
Assistant Director of Communications
American Society for Radiation Oncology
Fairfax, VA
703-839-7332
