Embargoed For Release Until: February 10, 1998

A Revolutionary New Tool in the Fight Against Women's Cancer Unveiled Today

Orlando, FL -- February 10, l998 -- A revolutionary new tool has been introduced which will help women determine their risk of being attacked by one of the most deadly of all killers: reproductive cancer (cancer of the ovaries, uterus, and cervix). The Women's Cancer Network (WCN) website, at www.wcn.org, is the world's first interactive reproductive cancer website and allows a woman to instantly receive an assessment of her risk for developing these cancers.

Reproductive cancers are of significant concern to Americans, as they strike more than 80,000 women annually. Thus this new, confidential risk evaluation, available worldwide 24-hours a day, comes as good news.

The new website was unveiled at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists by lead developers Mitchell Morris, MD, and Ivor Benjamin, MD, both gynecologic oncologists. Their team's work, on behalf of the WCN, was underwritten by an educational grant from SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, Philadelphia, PA.

Benefits of the WCN Website "Women's lives are becoming ever more harried. As a result, they too often find themselves putting the health and well-being of others above their own. Now, women have the means to assess their reproductive cancer risk any time, day or night. With the information they gain from this assessment tool, they may obtain some piece of mind and/or some thought provoking findings they can discuss with their physician. This information is as near as a computer and modem," said Dr. Morris.

While only a physician can diagnose gynecologic cancer, the website has a detailed survey that profiles each individual's risk. The website offers:

-- A free, confidential risk-assessment tool that produces both a personalized understanding of a woman's risk of developing reproductive cancer and a detailed plan for lowering those risks.
-- Assistance for those women who have been diagnosed with reproductive cancer by providing more information about their disease, treatment options and new or experimental therapies.
-- Information about appropriate cancer treatment specialists in her area.

For Emergency Help, It's 9ll -- For Women's Health, It's www.wcn.org. "We all know that 9ll is the emergency assistance number that saves thousands of lives per year. Our hope is that by logging on to www.wcn.org, additional lives can be saved by informing women about their risk of cancer," says Dr. Morris.

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The Informatics Committee of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) has led the development of the Women's Cancer Network under the direction of Drs. Mitchell Morris and Ivor Benjamin. For more information vist the following web site http://www.wcn.org