If you've ever wondered about online breast cancer and resources, here are some interactive Web sites that provide support and information for patients:

• Breast Cancer Risk Assessment. This is a useful instrument developed by the National Cancer Institute and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project. It allows a woman to estimate her risk of developing invasive breast cancer. It is not designed, however, to give a risk assessment for someone who has already been diagnosed with breast cancer. This site can be very useful for someone who is a family member of a breast cancer survivor, especially a first-degree relative.
• Calculating Chemo Benefits. This is a software package designed to be used by oncologists. The doctor enters information on the patient's pathology, along with some other demographics, and then calculates where she is situated along a survival curve. The site then calculates how far chemotherapy would carry her on up that survival curve.
• Online Breast Self-Exam. This Web site, through an online interactive video, teaches the visitor the basics of breast self-exams. A great teaching tool!