I first encountered a cancer magazine at my local Cancer Support Community office. I no longer recall which one it was, but I remember looking at it with one question in mind: Did it have any information that was pertinent to me? Either because of research related to my particular cancer, or because it covered other relevant topics such as long-term effects of certain chemotherapies.
It wasn't impressive enough to me at the moment to prompt me to subscribe, I will admit. But I'll also admit that I might have been too hasty. Maybe it is a good idea for me to make use of these comparatively accessible tools to keep apprised of recent developments. Let's take a look at the two cancer mags I've seen, CURE and Cancer Today, and consider what they have to offer. If there are other magazines out there, I hope you mention them in the comments.
CURE, or Cancer Updates, Research & Education, is a free quarterly published by McKesson Specialty Health. That name might be more or less familiar to you as a player within Big Pharma. They do stipulate that there is no editorial connection between McKesson and the magazine.
Each issue appears to have three feature articles. In the latest issue, Summer 2013, the cover story is on how to recognize and manage distress (for both patients and caregivers, though patients receive the bulk of the attention). It's a pretty good article as far as it goes. Starting with a personal anecdote from someone who felt her world was falling apart after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, it then continues with a definition of "distress," diagnostic tools, and treatment modalities. As one might expect, the section dealing with treatment is rather short and perfunctory, barely touching on the array of approaches that have helped people deal with their distress post-diagnosis. The two other feature articles address a particular cancer (multiple myeloma) and new treatment options for it, and post-treatment after-effects (here, cardiac consequences). I have not compared this issue with others to see if there's a pattern to feature articles.
In addition to these relatively lengthy pieces, there is a section called "Articles" and another called "Departments." Articles include these regular topic headings: Diagnosis Cancer, Finding Hope, Healing Well, and Caregivers' Corner. Departments include Side Note (on sleep and rest), Food for Thought (on diet), Pipeline (on new research), Voices (a personal testimony) and Speaking Out (short Q & A with a cancer professional on a significant topic).
The advantages and limitations of a print version of this sort of publication are obvious. In some cases, as in the length and scope of the articles, they may be both simultaneously: there's enough information to satisfy a basic curiosity, but not enough to give a complete explanation. The print version does have sidebars and insets to offer resources and other connections that in an online version could be provided via hyperlinks; for most topics, the print version is at least adequate.
Sensibly, the online version is organized differently from the print one, and of course there is also the option of accessing archival material. In addition to the articles published in the print version, the website also offers various tabs with links to other topics, including News; Cancer Journey; Tool Box. Tool Box is supposed to be a comprehensive resource list of organizations providing services to people with cancer (or caregivers), but inexplicably Cancer Support Community is not listed, while Gilda's Club is.
After the jump, let's look at Cancer Today.
Cancer Today is different from CURE in several aspects. It's published by the American Association for Cancer Research, whose mission
is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, and collaboration. Through its programs and services, the AACR fosters research in cancer and related biomedical science; accelerates the dissemination of new research findings among scientists and others dedicated to the conquest of cancer; promotes science education and training; and advances the understanding of cancer etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment throughout the world.
That in itself is a promising context, but the other significant difference -- one more obvious on the website than in the print version -- is that there is a section for advocacy. (Don't you feel better when there's information about how to become politically involved? ;) For that matter, one of their regular quarterly features is called "Get Involved," which lists volunteer opportunities.
[Speaking of volunteer opportunities, in the Fall 2012 issue of Cancer Today the cover story was on Johnny Imerman and his "Angels," an organization which smileycreek wrote about so poignantly a year ago, regarding the wonderful experience that she and paradise50 had through them.]
The featured articles in each quarterly issue cover more territory, simply by virtue of being more numerous (6 instead of 3). And while I haven't made a thorough comparison by any means, my initial impression is that Cancer Today has more articles and features that intend to include people with color as readers. That's an important advantage as well.
The other regularly occurring umbrella topics are similar to those of CURE, though there is a one-page element called "In the Moment" with a photograph of a cancer survivor, his/her name and cancer diagnosis, and a paragraph describing the significance of the photo.
The online magazine is again organized differently than the print version, with three main tabs after the magazine's archives: Research and Treatment, Living with Cancer, and Taking Action. Each tab takes you to a list of previous articles, though the criteria for their inclusion is not obvious. Several of the "Taking Action" articles are from 2011 issues, which is odd; surely there have been relevant articles in the year and a half since then. Other tabs reveal similar shortcomings, or perhaps neglect, of their digital format; the "Web Exclusives" is almost empty. There might be more information provided with a subscriber login, but that's not made clear.
And unlike CURE, Cancer Today is not free. One-year subscriptions to the print (and digital) version cost $15.99.
Nevertheless, if I were to recommend only one of these, I'd likely go for Cancer Today. Its overall approach seems more interactive to me, somehow, than the one adopted by CURE--more accessible, more willing to encourage the exercise of agency by its readers.
What do you think? Are you familiar with one or both of these publications? Do you have a favorite? Is there another one (or more) you think we ought to know? Is there anything that you've learned from one of these magazines that's been helpful? I look forward to reading your input.
Monday Night Cancer Club is a Daily Kos group focused on dealing with cancer, primarily for cancer survivors and caregivers, though clinicians, researchers, and others with a special interest are also welcome. Volunteer diarists post Monday evenings between 7-8 PM ET on topics related to living with cancer, which is very broadly defined to include physical, spiritual, emotional and cognitive aspects. Mindful of the controversies endemic to cancer prevention and treatment, we ask that both diarists and commenters keep an open mind regarding strategies for surviving cancer, whether based in traditional, Eastern, Western, allopathic or other medical practices. This is a club no one wants to join, in truth, and compassion will help us make it through the challenge together.