The PDQ Cancer Information File contains information on:
• prognosis (chance of recovery)
• staging (the extent of spread)
• histopathology (tumor cell type)
• state-of-the-art (effective or standard) treatment options
• promising clinical research
• supportive care (the management of complications)
• screening (early detection).
The treatment information in PDQ is written by cancer specialists with input from experts around the country. Treatment guidelines are provided for all major types of cancer—more than 80 different types—and information on a growing number of rare cancers is being added.
The files also contain information from important articles published in the medical literature that document the effectiveness of the therapies recommended in PDQ's statements. Short summaries of these articles can be displayed on request for review.
Because treatment for a patient with a cancer that has not spread from its site of origin is often quite different from the treatment for a patient whose tumor has spread to other organs (metastasized), PDQ generally recommends treatments by the stage of disease. In certain cancers, other factors such as the location of the tumor or the type of cells that have become cancerous can be more important in the selection of treatment. In
