Cancer survivors sought for online study

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine and The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii are recruiting participants for a study that hopes to improve the lives of cancer survivors."Cancer: Thriving & Surviving" is a six-week, Internet-based workshop to help cancer survivors adjust to life after cancer. Many survivors have unique issues after completing treatment; they may struggle with physical changes, late effects of treatment, emotional concerns, and/or the stress of recurrence.Researchers hope this interactive workshop will help survivors through some of these issues. Each workshop will bring together about 25 survivors and will be facilitated by two trained moderators, one of whom is a cancer survivor. Participants will also have access to an online learning center and discussion boards, and will be asked to log in at their convenience two or three times for a total of about two hours a week during the six-week workshop. This study will assess the effectiveness of this program. The workshop is based on Stanford's "Healthier Living with Chronic Conditions Self-Management Program," which showed in a similar study that participants who developed confidence in managing their own health required fewer medical interventions and were overall healthier. Researchers are looking for about 400 survivors who have completed treatment to participate in this study. For more information and requirements, go to cancersurvivors.stanford.edu or email cancersurvivors@standford.edu.