Local Resources:

The  Cancer Support Community  offers a wide variety of support groups, educational programs, healthy lifestyle classes, social opportunities and individual support services for those affected by cancer.

Cancer Family Care  is a local nonprofit organization that helps children and adults cope with the effects of a cancer diagnosis in the family.

Hospice of Cincinnati  provides a comprehensive, personalized Plan of Care that is tailored to each individual’s varying needs.

Local Cancer Centers:

The Christ Hospital Cancer Center

Mercy Health Cancer Care

St. Elizabeth Cancer Care

TriHealth Cancer Institute

University of Cincinnati Cancer Institute

National Resources:

Aim at Melanoma – Aim for Answers, Action and a Cure. Site offers detailed information about early detection, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. It also offers a Nurse on Call service.

The American Academy of Dermatology campaign, “See Spot…Check Spot…Save a Life,â€� stresses the importance of skin self-examinations as a tool in the early detection of skin cancer, and especially the use of a partner to help examine those hard to see locations on the body.

Known as a database for all types of cancer, the American Cancer Society has on-line information about melanoma.

The Cord Blood Center promotes  the benefits of cord blood banking.  Umbilical cord blood  has helped children survive over 80 diseases including leukemia, lymphoma, and anemia and is now being used in older patients. Their  mission is to help others understand how they can benefit and help save the lives of sick children in need. There have been over 35,000 cord blood transplants thanks to donors worldwide.

The Imerman Angels provides FREE personalized one-on-one cancer support for cancer fighters, survivors and caregivers.

The Melanoma Education Foundation is devoted to saving lives from melanoma. The Foundation provides complete information about early self-detection and prevention of melanoma on their web site.

Melanoma Patients Information Page has a wealth of knowledge focusing on current events, literature and practices. Melanoma warriors and memorials make this site personal and real.

The mission of the Melanoma Research Alliance  is to end suffering and death due to melanoma by collaborating with all stakeholders to accelerate powerful research, advance cures for all patients, and prevent more melanomas.

The Melanoma Research Foundation aims to support medical research for finding effective treatments and a cure for melanoma, educate patients and physicians about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and act as an advocate for the melanoma community to raise awareness of this disease and the need for a cure.

The Melanoma Action Coalition, of which Melanoma Know More is a member, is a group of melanoma foundations focused on increasing awareness about melanoma, providing education about sun safety, and raising money for melanoma research.

The National Cancer Institute has photos of melanomas, normal moles and atypical moles. A list of publications is also available on-line.

The Polka Dot Mama Melanoma Foundation funds research, raises awareness and educates the community about melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer.

The Skin Cancer Foundation publishes literature about skin cancers and provides information via their comprehensive internet site.

Formed by a melanoma survivor, the Shade Foundation is dedicated to educating the community in the prevention and detection of skin cancer and the promotion of sun safety. Some information is provided in Spanish.

The SunWise Program is an environmental and health education program that aims to teach children and their caregivers how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun through the use of classroom-, school-, and community-based components.

Melanoma Molecular Map Project – MMMP Databases, putting together the pieces of the Melanoma puzzle. Six interconnected databanks for the interactive collection, update and consultation of the translational and clinical information on melanoma biology and treatment.

Cancer Commons is a bold open science initiative for physicians, scientists, and patients engaged in personalized oncology. Its goals are to: 1) give each patient the best possible outcome by individualizing their treatment based on their tumor’s genomic subtype; 2) learn as much as possible from each patient’s response, and 3) rapidly disseminate what is learned in time to help the next patient.

NCCN Guidelines for Patients with Melanoma released in January 2011. This 70 page document can help patients and their family members learn more about the disease and its management thereby allowing them to better prepare for appointments with their physicians. There is a Table of Contents so you can easily navigate to the section that is of interest.