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Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
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Available any time of day or night
Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
These navigators are trained health care professionals. Their roles can depend on their training and background.
Oncology nurse navigators are registered nurses with knowledge about cancer care. Oncology nurse navigators may:
Oncology social work navigators are social workers who also know about cancer care and social and mental health issues. Oncology social work navigators can:
These navigators get special training but are not health care professionals.
Cancer site-specific navigators support people with a specific type of cancer. They most often are oncology nurse navigators.
Financial navigators help people with cancer understand what their health insurance plan may cover and what they will have to pay out of pocket expenses. They may also help people set up payment plans and find ways to lower treatment costs so they can get the care they need.
Clinical trials navigators provide information and help ease concerns about being in a clinical trial. They can help answer questions, arrange transportation, and help with insurance issues as needed.
Population-specific navigators focus on the needs of underserved groups of people to make it easier for them to get cancer screening and care. These navigators are often non-clinical and come from the community they are serving to help build trust.
Pediatric/adolescent/young adult navigators focus on the needs of children, teenagers, or young adults with cancer and their families.
Cancer screening navigators focus on the needs of people getting screened for certain types of cancer, such as lung, breast, or colorectal cancer. They work to get more people screened and help those who may have cancer get further testing and the information they need.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Patient Navigation. Cdc.gov. Accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/screenoutcancer/patient-navigation.htm on June 12, 2023.
Franklin E, Burke S, Dean M, Johnston D, Nevidjon B & Booth LS. Oncology navigation standards of professional practice. J Oncol Navig Surviv. 2022; 13.
Natale-Pereira A, Enard KR, Nevarez L, Jones LA. The role of patient navigators in eliminating health disparities. Cancer. 2011;117(15 Suppl):3543-3552.
National Cancer Institute. Financial navigator. Cancer.gov. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/financial-navigator on June 9, 2023.
National Cancer Institute. The Patient Navigator Research Program (PNRP). Cancer.gov. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/pnrp-brochure.pdf on June 12, 2023.
Wells KJ, Wightman P, Cobian Aguilar R, et al. Comparing clinical and nonclinical cancer patient navigators: A national study in the United States. Cancer. 2022;128 Suppl 13(Suppl 13):2601-2609.
Last Revised: June 20, 2023
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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