Assessing Scientific Credibility

It seems that everyone you talk to knows someone who has or had breast cancer and after skin cancer it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. The term breast cancer refers to a malignant tumor that has developed from cells in the breast. These cells constantly divide normally and replace themselves. However, some cells become mutated and do not know when to stop dividing and replacing themselves, as a result a tumor begins to form. If left unchecked, these malignant cells can eventually spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body. Once a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer she is expected to make several decisions about her treatment. This process can be very overwhelming. Unfortunately, because there is no cure for breast cancer there is no standardized treatment and each doctor will have a different opinion on how to treat her. She must consider which oncologist she will use as well as make a decision on what type of surgery she will have, such as mastectomy or a lumpectomy. Treatment plans such as radiation treatment, chemotherapy or hormonal therapy all must be considered. Sadly, most women prior to being diagnosed have not had any experience with this process. With the fear of possibly loosing the battle to this disease she is now forced to make these decisions. This is exactly what I felt when I was twenty six years old. I had went in to have a biopsy on a Friday afternoon and woke up from this procedure with my doctor saying I have bad news. He then proceeded to tell me that I needed to return Monday with a decision on whether I wanted a mastectomy or lumpectomy. This was 1993 when I was first diagnosed, at this time the Internet wasn't as readily available as it is today. I had to make my decisions based on the information I got from books and conversations with others. I think I probably interviewed every possible hospital staff I came in contact with, asking them what they thought of the latest treatment and their opinion on what doctors to use. Luckily, I am here to tell the story seventeen years later but had I had the skills and the resources to properly resource these questions, I could of saved myself a lot of guessing and concern.

When it comes to determining what Internet resources are credible or not there are several factors to be considered. First, you should look at the ending of the site, the url does the ending have .com, if it does, this means it a profit site, if it has .org it is a non-profit, .gov includes government agencies and .edu is educational sites. Next, does this source have an author or identifiable source and do they provide contact information, such as address and phone number. What is the intent of the source, is it to sell a product, does the information seem biased, does the source provide limitations and weaknesses as well as the benefits. Other factors to consider are; is this source peer reviewed, does it provide other sources to support it, and does the source have the required experience and training to call themselves and expert.

Some of the most credible websites I found when resourcing information about breast cancer were the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. and the Susan G. Koman websites. These websites are devoted to educating individuals to help save lives. Neither of these sites seemed biased or were trying to sell or promote a product or individuals. The National Breast Cancer Foundation provides free mammograms to women who can not afford them but they are not promoting a doctor or facility. They