New iPhone App For Breast Cancer Patients

A new mobile iPhone application is available to help breast cancer patients learn about their diagnoses, understand medical jargon contained in lab reports, and track information about their disease.

The Breast Cancer Diagnosis Guide is a new application is geared at assisting patients to better understand their diagnoses, as well as tool that can aid clinicians. The free application comes in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

The app, launched by non-profit organization Breastcancer.org, runs on iPhones, iPods and iPads. The app guides patients through the results of their pathology reports, allowing them to input information and terms contained in their report. The app provides definitions and explanations for medical terms that appear in lab results.

The mobile app makes it easier for patients to take their diagnosis information with them to medical appointments, such as referrals to treatment oncologists, and features diagrams of different types of breast cancer, which can also be used by clinicians to explain the disease and therapies to patients.

Also, once patient enter information about their diagnoses into the application, individuals can choose to download automatically from Breastcancer.org research news, articles, and other information specific to their disease, to keep them updated about new findings and how those discoveries might relate to their situation.

“There are many different breast cancers, this walks patients through their pathology reports, provides them with information, and lets them know what new research could mean for them,” said a spokeswoman for Breastcancer.org.

The application is also useful to caretakers, including spouses and adult children, helping in the care of the patient, she said.

Breastcancer.org is also discussing possible plans to make the application available to additional mobile platforms, such as Android devices, she said.

The new application joins an increasing number of personal health information tools, including mobile applications, to help consumers track and manage chronic illnesses, wellness and fitness.

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