Cancer Help Is Just A Click Away

When you type the word "cancer" into an Internet search engine, you get more than 250 million results. Keep in mind, the Web is full of misinformation, CBS News correspondent Daniel Sieberg reports. So where should you go online?

Both the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute give you details on virtually every variety of the disease.

What if you want to find the best hospital in your area? At the American Cancer Society, click on "making treatment decisions" then "treatment centers." Put in your ZIP code and click "go."

Clinical trials can be found on both sites. At the National Cancer Institute, go to "clinical trials," click the type of cancer, insert specifics about your case and click on the trial that interests you.

What if a potential cancer symptom has got you worried? CBS News health care partner WebMD offers a "symptom checker." Click on your area of concern and your symptoms, and WebMD will offer you possible causes to, of course, discuss with your doctor.

The Internet also goes beyond facts and figures. At the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center site, if you click on "support programs" and then "online support," you can participate in discussion groups.

Leroy Sievers is a commentator for National Public Radio. When he learned last year that cancer had re-appeared in his liver and lungs, he began writing an online diary or blog

"Web sites provide a safe place to talk about cancer, where you can say out loud what you can't say to friends and family," Sievers says.

It's all part of connecting in a virtual world to help beat a very real disease.