How we create & review content

This is the path we aim for every page to follow from idea to publication and beyond:

1. Topic ideaarrow_forward
2. Content planningarrow_forward
3. Trusted source collectionarrow_forward
4. Risk level assignedarrow_forward
5. AI-assisted or human draftingarrow_forward
6. Source checking & fact reviewarrow_forward
7. Plain-language editingarrow_forward
8. Source-accuracy reviewarrow_forward
9. Editorial reviewarrow_forward
10. Disclaimer & safety wording checkarrow_forward
11. Publishing checklistarrow_forward
12. Publicationarrow_forward
13. Ongoing review & updates

We choose topics based on what patients, caregivers, and the public most often need help understanding — common questions, frequently searched terms, prevention and screening guidelines, treatment side effects, survivorship and caregiving needs, mental-health and emotional support, user feedback, and gaps in existing patient-friendly education.

High-impact topics come first — especially ones that help people make informed decisions or have better conversations with their care team. Before drafting, a topic is approved with a working title, target audience, the main question it answers, its content type, a risk level, the trusted sources to use, and where it will live on the site.

All factual medical claims must be supported by reputable sources. Whenever possible we rely on:

• check_circleNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
• check_circleNational Institutes of Health (NIH)
• check_circleCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• check_circleU.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
• check_circleAmerican Cancer Society (ACS)
• check_circleMedlinePlus
• check_circlePeer-reviewed medical journals
• check_circleAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), on a small number of pages
• check_circleNCCN Guidelines for Patients, on a small number of pages

We do not publish:

• check_circleUnsupported medical claims
• check_circleMiracle cures
• check_circlePromises that a treatment, diet, or supplement will cure cancer
• check_circleFear-based language
• check_circleMisleading survival claims
• check_circleUnverified statistics
• check_circleAdvice to delay or avoid medical care
• check_circleAnything that reads like a personal diagnosis or treatment plan

We may use AI tools to help create early drafts. AI-assisted content goes through editorial source review, where medical facts are compared with the original trusted sources. This is an editorial check, not a physician review, unless a named clinician reviewer appears on the page.

If AI produces a claim we can’t verify against a trusted source, the claim is removed. Sensitive topics — prognosis, treatment decisions, mental health, supplements, clinical trials, urgent symptoms, medications, palliative and end-of-life care — receive extra review.

We write for real people — patients, caregivers, older adults, and anyone who is scared, overwhelmed, or newly diagnosed — aiming for about a 6th–8th grade reading level. That means simple, compassionate language, short sentences and sections, clear explanations of any medical terms, and “questions to ask your care team.” Our tone is calm, respectful, supportive, and honest without being frightening.

We try to check pages for accuracy before publishing, and we re-check them over time. Because we’re a small nonprofit team, we assign each page a risk level so the most sensitive content gets the most attention. We have no clinician reviewer, so mistakes are possible. If you see one, please tell us.

After accuracy review, an editing pass checks clarity, grammar, tone, formatting, accessibility, reading level, internal links, and whether the page actually answers the reader’s question. Cancer information can be scary, so we keep it honest but never alarming — and we avoid fear, shame, and blame, taking extra care around weight, smoking, alcohol, diet, delayed screening, financial barriers, and access to care.

We write to be inclusive of people with different ages, cultures, reading levels, incomes, insurance situations, family structures, disabilities, and access to care. We never assume everyone has easy access to specialists, transportation, paid time off, healthy food, or strong support at home.

We don’t imply affiliation with any organization unless it’s real and documented — we say “this article uses information from trusted sources such as the National Cancer Institute,” not “our partners at NCI.” And we don’t copy copyrighted text: we summarize, explain, and link to trusted sources, and use public-domain government materials where allowed, always reviewed, simplified, and clearly attributed.

This is the checklist we aim to complete before a page is published. Automated publishing checks cover only some of these items, so a page can still go live with one missed:

• check_boxTopic approved & audience identified
• check_boxTrusted sources documented
• check_boxMedical wording compared with sources
• check_boxAI-generated text reviewed (if used)
• check_boxClaims a source does not support removed or softened
• check_boxRisk level assigned (Low / Medium / High)
• check_boxPlain-language edit complete
• check_boxSource check complete (clinician review added and named only if it happens)
• check_boxEditorial review complete
• check_boxDisclaimer & emergency language added where needed
• check_box“Talk with your care team” language included where appropriate
• check_boxLast reviewed & updated dates added
• check_boxLinks tested & accessibility checked
• check_boxSEO title & description written
• check_boxRelated resources added
• check_boxCopyright / licensing checked
• check_boxFinal approval received

Cancer information changes, so we aim to review and update content on a schedule:

• updateLow-risk content — up to 24 months between source checks
• updateMedium-risk content — up to 12 months between source checks
• updateHigh-risk content — up to 6 months between source checks
• updateGuideline-based pages — reviewed whenever major guidelines change

Where they are recorded, a page shows its last reviewed and last updated dates. When screening, treatment, or safety guidelines change, we aim to find the affected pages, update them, re-check accuracy, and refresh the dates.

These are roles in the process, not people on a payroll. Cancer Explained has no paid editorial staff and no clinician on staff; most of what follows is done by an AI-assisted system against published rules, with automated checks that can hold a publish, and with volunteer reviewers where we have them. We list the roles because the work still has to happen and someone or something has to be accountable for each part — not to suggest a newsroom.

Scrutiny scales with risk. We aim to source-check every page, but that work is still in progress and is not the same as clinical review. Pages we class as high-risk — emergencies, dosing, anything where acting on a wrong sentence causes harm — go through the automated checks described above and are meant to be re-checked on a shorter cycle. No page waits for clinician review. If a volunteer clinician does review a page, the page names them; where that has not happened, the page says so rather than implying it has.