LibGuides: Cancer: Resources

Library Databases and E-Books

*To access these sources while off-campus, you will need a username and password. Email the librarians for the login information.

Gale in Context: Science This link opens in a new window
Offers a mix of sources, including reference articles with background information, articles from magazines such as Science News and Prevention, news articles from sources like the New York Times and Washington Post, as well as thousands of scholarly journal articles.

From the home page, search a keyword ("melanoma") or combination of keywords ("melanoma AND screening"). The search results will be arranged by type of source. If you're just beginning your research, focus on the Reference, News, and Magazines sections. If you are ready for in-depth scholarly research, take a look at the Academic Journals section.

Britannica Online Academic
A great starting point. In addition to searching the name of a particular type of cancer, take a look at the more general article "Cancer" as well as the article "Human Genetic Disease".
EBSCO Explora
A general database that covers a range of subjects and disciplines, drawing articles from a mix of scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers.
The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
An ebook with information on more than 1,700 medical disorders and concepts. Each article includes in-depth discussion of causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, procedures, and other related topics. Search within this ebook using the search bar on the right of the screen.
Oxford Reference
A collection of ebooks published by Oxford University Press. Some of the relevant titles included in this database include: Dictionary of Genetics, Dictionary of Nursing, Dictionary of Biomedicine, and the Concise Medical Dictionary.
Britannica ImageQuest
A great place to search for IMAGES for your project. Millions of rights-cleared images (photos, illustrations, and artwork) for all subjects.

Articles

*To access these articles while off-campus, you will need a username and password. Email the librarians for the login information.

Fighting Cancer: Will new therapies and more money lead to cures?
This 2016 report discusses different advances and approaches in treating cancer. Many new cancer medicines cost more than $100,000 annually, sparking outrage among doctors, politicians, and the public. Drug makers say these costs are necessary to pay for medical research. Meanwhile, some doctors caution against false hope, as many of the new drugs don't work longterm or only treat certain cancers.
Clinical Trials: Can public participation be expanded?
This 2018 report examines the rules around clinical trials in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration relies on trials when considering whether to approve new medical treatments. But the clinical trials system in the United States is in crisis. Analysts have proposed some controversial ideas to fix the problem, including broadening eligibility requirements to attract more participants, and involving patients in the design of clinical trials.

Off campus?

For access to the databases from off campus, email the librarians for passwords.

Finding articles in Gale in Context: Science

This quick video shows how to navigate the various Topics pages in the Gale in Context: Science database. Here is the Topics page about cancer. Searching a specific type of cancer will bring up a more targeted Topics page, such as this one about lung cancer.

Scholarly Articles in PubMed

Trusted Websites

National Cancer Institute
The website for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the U.S. government’s principal agency for cancer research. The statistics section (https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/) is particularly worth checking out, including data on the survival rate and the overall risk of certain cancers, as up-to-date as 2019.
CDC Diseases and Conditions (Centers for Disease Control)
Simple descriptions of medical conditions.
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society has some of the most up-to-date information about different types of cancer, their symptoms and diagnosis, and treatments.
MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine)
Information and articles about all sorts of medical conditions.