information / en Breast cancer “decision tree” helps women navigate treatment options /news/breast-cancer-decision-tree-helps-women-navigate-treatment-options <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Breast cancer “decision tree” helps women navigate treatment options</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-02-breast-cancer-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=D1urN_vd 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-11-02-breast-cancer-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UxDJtSxc 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-11-02-breast-cancer-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rwMSKa3k 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-02-breast-cancer-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=D1urN_vd" alt="Photo of Kristen Bright"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-03T08:00:52-04:00" title="Thursday, November 3, 2016 - 08:00" class="datetime">Thu, 11/03/2016 - 08:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Kristin Bright is a ˾ֱ medical anthropologist who has designed an information tool for breast cancer patients (Photo by Diana Tyszko)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/peter-boisseau" hreflang="en">Peter Boisseau</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Peter Boisseau</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/breast-cancer" hreflang="en">Breast Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/anthropology" hreflang="en">Anthropology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/information" hreflang="en">information</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">“No other tool like this anywhere in North America,” says ˾ֱ medical anthropologist</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A free information tool largely designed by breast cancer survivors and a University of Toronto medical anthropologist is now available online to explain treatment options for the most common form of cancer in women.</p> <p>Breast cancer “decision trees” that map out treatment options for every form of the disease are a key feature of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bethechoice.org/">website</a>, which also includes information about the many types of the cancer and easy-to-understand explanations of the medical terminology.</p> <p>“There is no other tool like this anywhere in North America,” says<strong> Kristin Bright</strong>, assistant professor, teaching stream, in&nbsp;˾ֱ’s Faculty of Arts &amp; Science. “Everything from the language and graphics to the colours and fonts is informed by patients and survivors.”</p> <h2><a href="http://bethechoice.org/">See the decision tree</a></h2> <p>With many patients facing surgical treatment within a few weeks of diagnosis, the site is meant to help them understand their disease and consider their options.&nbsp;</p> <p>“A lot of people leave their doctor’s office feeling they either got too much information or too little, and they’ve heard medical terms that haven’t been explained,” says Bright, who was at the New York University School of Medicine and Perlmutter Cancer Center before joining ˾ֱ.</p> <p>“When they go into the decision tree, they’ll see a short description, and then they can choose to read more. It’s sort of an iterative design&nbsp;so you’re not getting too much information at once.”</p> <p>While the type of breast cancer may dictate certain procedures that must be followed quickly, there will also be decisions the patient has to make, notes Bright.</p> <p>These include choosing radiation or chemo treatment before or after surgery, and whether to have immediate breast reconstruction or to wait until later.</p> <p>The tool is not intended to be used in isolation but to empower the patient to discuss the information and options with their care providers,&nbsp;Bright says. She adds that the designers anticipate&nbsp;that the site will reduce anxiety and improve communication.</p> <p>It’s also an important education tool, Bright says.&nbsp;</p> <p>“In a very diverse population like Toronto, that’s important&nbsp;because people might have pre-existing ideas or concepts of what a tumor might be.”</p> <p>Bright recalls a patient she interviewed while in New York who was from Haiti. The woman put off surgery for two years because, like many in her community, she thought the lump in her breast was caused by menopausal blood that would dissipate.</p> <p>The site is accessible on any browser or mobile device and is still in the testing phase. Bright and a team of advisors and clinicians have been working on the site for two years, and they hope to gather more feedback from visitors that they can incorporate prior to its official launch in June 2017.</p> <p>The text is written in Grade 8&nbsp;English&nbsp;and it will be translated for a French-language site before the official launch.</p> <p>As the site grows and develops over time, the designers hope to add information about post-treatment care, survivorship resources, and complementary and alternative care&nbsp;such as acupuncture, massage and meditation.</p> <p>Bright also hopes&nbsp;the site could eventually contribute to existing patient advocacy movements to improve care in underserved areas by raising awareness.</p> <p>Startup funding has come from a grant from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA).That money will take the website through the launch next year, and then Bright&nbsp;will be looking for additional funders.</p> <p>“We’re hoping to spread the word so that people can see that this is often a manageable disease, and there is life after breast cancer,” says Bright.</p> <p>“I also hope that this tool will help people understand they need to continue monitoring their health, even after treatment.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 03 Nov 2016 12:00:52 +0000 ullahnor 102219 at Knowledge Media Design Institute /node/8612 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Knowledge Media Design Institute</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-01-07T15:47:15-05:00" title="Thursday, January 7, 2016 - 15:47" class="datetime">Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-url field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">URL</div> <div class="field__item">https://kmdi.utoronto.ca</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above clearfix"> <h3 class="field__label">Tags</h3> <ul class="links field__items"> <li><a href="/news/tags/kmdi" hreflang="en">kmdi</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/information" hreflang="en">information</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Campus</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6953" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> </div> Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:15 +0000 sgupta 8612 at Contacts, Tri-Campus (General, Admissions, Emergency) /node/8480 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Contacts, Tri-Campus (General, Admissions, Emergency)</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-01-07T15:47:11-05:00" title="Thursday, January 7, 2016 - 15:47" class="datetime">Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-url field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">URL</div> <div class="field__item">/contacts</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-above clearfix"> <h3 class="field__label">Tags</h3> <ul class="links field__items"> <li><a href="/news/tags/directory" hreflang="en">directory</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/phone-number" hreflang="en">phone number</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/snow-line" hreflang="en">snow line</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/police" hreflang="en">police</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/information" hreflang="en">information</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-campus field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Campus</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7033" hreflang="en">Online Services</a></div> </div> Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:11 +0000 sgupta 8480 at