Providing clear cancer information

Cancer Australia

Cancer is a major health concern for many Australians. Understanding how to reduce risk and what to expect with various cancers can help people to make informed decisions about their own health.

Cancer is a major health concern for many Australians. Understanding how to reduce risk, what options there are for treatment and what to expect with various cancers can help people to manage their own health and make informed decisions.

As the lead national agency for cancer control, Cancer Australia needs content that is clear, engaging and evidence based, and that speaks to consumers and health professionals in language they understand. Biotext has worked with Cancer Australia since 2012 to develop content on key cancer types for the main website and various microsites.

For example, breast cancer is the most common cancer for Australian women, and knowing how to reduce your risk is a key health priority. Cancer Australia wanted to develop a website that would deliver evidence-based, up-to-date information on key risk factors for breast cancer in women.

Biotext content developers analysed the technical content that underpinned the new site and developed the information architecture (IA) and structure to group around 80 risk factors and protective factors. We translated technical and scientific language into information for a general audience, to ensure that the information on the website was clear and understandable. We also summarised the technical information for health professionals.

Women can now readily access the most accurate information, based on the highest quality evidence, on which they can act.

Dr Helen Zorbas, Cancer Australia CEO

We also worked on the children’s cancer website, to ensure families can access clear information about care for their child.

Our role:

Content analysis – we analyse original clinical reports to draw out the key points and messages and to ensure that the rewriting does not change the meaning

Writing and editing – we translate the technical and scientific language of reports into clear, understandable information for 2 audiences: the general public and health professionals