We encourage you to contact the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for more information. We list how to contact NCI below. Please note that NCI cannot answer specific medical questions, make referrals, or provide consultation. You’ll need to speak to a health care professional for this kind of help.
Telephone the Cancer Information Service
Talk with a trained Information Specialist from the NCI’s
Cancer Information Service Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
local time. These specialists provide up-to-date cancer information
to patients and their families, health professionals, and the general
public. They explain scientific information in plain language and
respond in English or Spanish.
Toll-free 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
TTY: 1-800-332-8615
Get Live Help Online
The NCI’s LiveHelp service provides Internet users with
the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The
service is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
Eastern time. Information Specialists can help Internet users find
information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
Visit NCI’s Web Site
The NCI Web site provides online access
to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites
and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients
and their families.
Send an E-mail
If you have questions or comments
or are unable to find what you need on NCI’s Web site, please
contact NCI using their online
contact form.
Check Out Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The answer to your question
may be in NCI’s FAQ list.
Order Publications
The NCI has booklets and other materials for
patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications
discuss types of cancer, methods of treatment, coping with cancer,
and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests
for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and
NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics
may be ordered online or printed directly from the
NCI
Publications Locator. These materials also may be ordered by
telephone from the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER
(1-800-422-6237).
Write to NCI
For more information from the NCI,
please write to this address:
NCI Public Inquiries Office
Suite 3036A
6116 Executive Boulevard, MSC8322
Bethesda, MD 20892-8322
Consult PDQ
PDQ is NCI’s comprehensive cancer information
database that is updated regularly. PDQ contains the most current
information about cancer treatment, supportive care, screening,
prevention, genetics, and complementary and alternative medicine
(CAM). The database also contains abstracts of clinical trial
protocols (action plans for conducting clinical trials). The National
Cancer Institute, with the help of cancer experts from across the
United States, maintains the PDQ database.
For a full description of PDQ, click here.
For a Fact Sheet of Questions and Answers about PDQ, click here.