"Clinical research is the means by which advances in cancer are made," said Robert Wittes, M.D., NCI's deputy director for Extramural Science. "The World Wide Web is an extremely important vehicle for disseminating information today, and this site will offer patients, the healthcare community, and the public an easy and accessible format for the latest and best cancer trials information."

The site, part of a broad effort to increase awareness of cancer trials, accommodates a wide range of audiences, from cancer patients and their families to the general public to the health professionals who help people make decisions about cancer care. Its user-friendly format explains clinical trials and their role in cancer care and helps users locate trials that are open. Dr. Wittes explains that the "site will provide visitors with a single point of entry to the universe of cancer trials information, tools for navigating this information, and a context for using the information to make decisions about trial participation."

The web will also include news updates, a history of clinical research, a description of trial accomplishments, and educational materials about participating in cancer trials. The site is designed to be interactive and responsive to users' needs. In particular, users of the site can join the e-mail notification service to learn about new and upcoming information available on the site.

NOTE: Other Web sites are encouraged to link to this valuable new site.