• Lung Cancer iOncolex: A free version with Lung Cancer enabled. Breast and Prostate Cancer can be purchased from inside the app.
  
• Cancer iOncolex: The full version with Breast, Lung and Prostate Cancer.
  

iOncolex contains up-to-date information on cancer provided by experts at the Norwegian Radium Hospital – recognized as one of the foremost cancer treatment centers in Europe.

iOncolex provides a comprehensive collection of current procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The content is organized into basic facts and the three major aspects of the disease: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Follow-up Care. A wide range of images, illustrations, and videos explain the disease, treatment, and the effects it might have. Medical terms are defined in plain English. Simply click on a medical term to see a definition.

FACTS:
Covers all the basic information you need to understand each specific cancer type.

DIAGNOSIS:
This section gives you a basic understanding of how the disease is diagnosed.

TREATMENT:
Provides in-depth information about treatment options. The section is subdivided into three categories: Surgery, Drug Therapy, and Radiation Therapy. Both advantages and disadvantages of each type of treatment are explained.

FOLLOW-UP CARE:
After cancer treatment, a variety of issues may arise. This section covers many of these issues and their impact .

iOncolex is based on Oncolex.no, a web-based encyclopedia that helps medical professionals in Norway stay up to date on the latest advances in cancer diagnostics, treatment, and follow-up care.

Lung Cancer

In the Nordic countries, lung cancer (pulmonary cancer) is the most common form of cancer. In Norway, lung cancer is the most common cancer form in men and the third most common cancer form in women.

Lung cancers are primarily divided into non-small cell lung carcinoma (85%) and small cell lung carcinoma (15%). Together, non-small cell lung carcinoma and small-cell carcinoma constitute about 97% of all carcinomas in the lungs. They are highly malignant and have a strong positive correlation with smoking.

There are numbers of subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer; the most common types are squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Carcinoid tumors and carcinomas of the salivary gland type are rare and not related to smoking. Mesotheliomas are tumors originating from the pleura and in rare cases from the peritoneum.

In the Nordic countries, lung cancer accounted for 10.2 % of the annual new cancer cases for men and 9.1% for women in the period from 2008. Of the 2550 new lung cancer cases in Norway in 2008, there were 1474 cases of men and 1076 of women. In 2006, 2007 lung cancer patients died. From the beginning of the 1980’s, the incidence of lung cancer among men has started to decline. But for women, the number of lung cancer cases has increased by 5% per year.

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is by far the most common form of cancer in women, and affects first and foremost women over the age of 50. Every 10th to 11th woman will develop breast cancer. In Norway in 2005, there were 2,780 women who received this diagnosis. In comparison, the disease affected 1,235 women in 1970. Breast cancer rarely strikes men. In Norway, less than 20 cases are diagnosed per year. With a few exceptions, the treatment is the same as for women.

The disease is characterized by a varied course, from rapidly growing tumors with early distant metastasis, to slow growing tumors which remain in the mammary glands without metastasizing. Twenty-five to 35% of breast tumors are aggressive. The majority of breast tumors are carcinomas. Sarcoma tumors are rare, but are important to be aware of, as they are treated differently from other breast carcinomas.

Prostate Cancer

The prostate gland is attached to the bottom of the bladder and is located in front of the rectum. During orgasm and ejaculation the prostate gland produces a secretion that carries the sperm.

In most countries of the Western world, prostate cancer is the most common cancer form in men. The development of the disease varies and it may take up to 20 years from the start of cell changes via prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and indolent (latent) cancer to overt clinical cancer.

The different tumor types have different levels of malignancy. Therefore, the treatment scheems should differ from no treatment to comprehensive multi modal treatment. To achieve optimal treatment results, it is important that the pateitnts are evaluated by multi treatment teams that include urologist, oncologist, radiation therapist and physicist.

During the last 10–20 years, PSA, or prostate specific antigen, has been used for early detection of prostate diseases, including cancer. This has often led to detection of cancer at earlier stages during the course of the disease. The PSA level, as measured by a blood test, is often high in the presence of prostate cancer. However a high PSA reading is not specific for cancer.

There are many controversial aspects in the treatment of prostate cancer. One of the questions is whether to detect the disease early by PSA-screening or whether the disease’s natural, untreated course is benign enough that curative treatment of early cancer with it’s subsequent serious side effects is unethical. There is no international or national consensus on this, which has led to differing treatment policies between countries, treatment centers, and specialists.

Pictures can make it much easier to understand the implications of a cancer diagnosis. Therefore, iOncolex provides a wide range of photos, illustrations, X-rays, and microscope images. All issues, from diagnosis to treatment, in addition to general facts related to the cancer types breast, lung, and prostate are thoroughly illustrated. The illustrations include schematic images of the relevant anatomy, microscope images, X-rays, statistics of occurrence, and prognoses for the three cancer types.

Watching a video can make it easier to understand the different aspects of each cancer type. This can be helpful when preparing for surgery or other types of relevant treatment. A narrator guides the viewer through the procedure.

Do you learn better with pictures and videos? Simply turn your iPhone sideways, and you can see all the photos, illustrations, and videos related to the topic you are currently viewing. Then, touch key parts of the illustration and a text description also appears. You can also play videos with a single click.

In this way, you can see all the visual content from a section in one place rather than having to scroll to find it within the content.

Due to the complex nature of cancer, some medical language is needed to explain everything from diagnosis to treatment. This language can be intimidating and difficult to understand for some people. iOncolex has created plain language definitions for most of these words. The words are underlined and highlighted, and with a simple click the definition pops up, without leaving the document you are reading.

With more than 150 definitions, all of the critical information you might need is available. The definitions have been written to ensure medical accuracy even though the language is simplified.

The dictionary is also accessible from the home screen and search tool.

iOncolex is designed to help you find what you are looking for fast – there are several methods:

1. Browse. Starting on the home screen, you can select your cancer type and then choose chapters based on the information you need. You can also use this method to browse for general information about a type of cancer.
2. Search. Looking for something specific? You can type in a keyword and see results from all cancer types. You can also tailor your search results to a specific type of cancer.
3. Bookmark. If you found the information you are looking for, you can bookmark it for future viewing. To return to that page, simply go to the home screen and click on bookmarks. Your saved bookmarks will appear and you can select the right one to return to the topic.

iOncolex is the latest offering from the Institute for Medical Informatics (IMI) at Oslo University Hospital. Its mission is to create innovative information technology that facilitates medical research and improves the quality of healthcare services.

iOncolex uses content created for Oncolex.no, a widely-used service that helps medical professionals in Norway stay current on the latest advances in cancer diagnostics, treatment, and follow-up care. IMI created Oncolex.no in collaboration with Helse Sør-Øst (South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority) to support Norway’s National Cancer Strategy, who’s mission is to provide equal care for all citizens. Oncolex.no supports this effort by providing a single point of information and a continually updated library of procedures. The content is developed by experts in the field, and procedures are described in detail using text, illustrations, photographs, animations, and video.

Oncolex.no

iOncolex is a patient version of Oncolex.no, a web-based multimedia encyclopedia for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Oncolex.no provides information to hospitals and medical professions all over Norway with detailed content on how to diagnose, treat, and provide follow-up care for 36 types of cancer.

Oncolex.no, initiated by the Norwegian Radium Hospital in collaboration with the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority, provides access to all cancer information on one website. The National Cancer Strategy states that if we are to offer equal treatment throughout the country, each regional health enterprise must ensure that hospitals treating cancer have adequate experience and competence. Procedures which are followed should be according to updated national standards carried out in cooperation by the experts and authorities.

As a link in such a national strategy for quality assurance of health services, Oncolex is developed in association with Oslo University Hospital and the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority. Oncolex as a web-based encyclopedia, will contribute to the quality assurance of treatment that patients encounter at all Norwegian hospitals. The target group for Oncolex is all medical professionals working within cancer care in Norway.

National Guidelines

Diagnosis and treatment of cancer should be completed in line with national treatment programs and new treatment will be made available for all. Oncolex allows medical professionals to have access to updated standards and new treatment.
There have been multiple central initiatives to define national standards within the different fields of the specialty health service. The Oncolex editorial staff is in agreement with the Social Health Directorate that the content in Oncolex should be of national standards within cancer care, and part of the national Health Library that is under development.

CCC Concept

The Norwegian Radium Hospital, part of the Oslo University Hospital, is a Comprehensive Cancer Center. This means that the hospital performs research, treatment, and teaching. We emphasize sharing special knowledge and research results to raise competency within cancer fields. Oncolex is an important medium to impart excellence and further development in Norway.

Contact

Please contact us regarding the iOncolex iPhone app at ioncolex@medinfo.net

Management

Editor in Chief
Prof. Håvard E. Danielsen Ph.D.
Director of the Institute for Medical Informatics

Medical Editor
Dr. Sigbjørn Smeland MD
Divisional Director of Cancer & Surgery

Project Leader
Janie E. Heien-Larssen
Senior Medical Adviser