Nearly half of all cancer patients and others in their households have trouble coordinating cancer care, according to a recent public health poll.

Many who participated in a recent telephone poll revealed they were confused about prescriptions, were sent for duplicate tests, and received conflicting information about their treatment plans.

Experts say choreographing care is one of the most important challenges in the world of cancer. Navigating the maze of medical madness can be emotionally draining and can even hurt a patient's chance of recovery.

Now is the time to become advocates for our own health -- before we are left behind. So get ready to take charge -- and consider these seven thoughts on actively coordinating your own cancer care.

• Today, cancer patients spend more time at home and not in hospitals like they did generations ago. This leaves them to manage much of their care on their own -- often a monumental and overwhelming task. Patients, or a designated friend of family member, should document every tidbit of medical information, including names, phone numbers, medical records, instructions, medications, dosages, appointments, questions, responses, and more. Jot down symptoms and worries and concerns. File away pamphlets and handouts and bills and receipts. Don't count on memory alone to provide all the details. Allow for back-ups. They will serve you well.
  

• Most cancer patients need a whole team of doctors -- radiologists, pathologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons -- but each doctor may handle only one aspect of care while no one runs the show. It's the perfect scenario for disrupted and piecemeal care, says one doctor. Consider searching for comprehensive cancer centers where a variety of professionals are housed under one roof and patients can often meet with all their doctors at one time. Currently, only about 10 percent of cancer patients are seen at this type of large center.

• Many doctors are stuck in electronic gridlock because doctors in one building may be unable to access the records of doctors in other locations due to incompatible computer systems or paper charts. Patient advocates say all patients should have easily accessible electronic medical records. One cancer center hopes to start a program that would allow for storage of patient records on small, portable USB flash drives. Patients would keep the drives and could plug them in at home or at their doctor's office.

• Cancer patients often suffer from lack of information. Long-term survivors, for example, often have trouble recalling exactly what was done to them. And over time, doctors may relocate or pass away, leaving survivors with little to reconstruct their journeys.
  

• Shortly after diagnosis, patients should request from their doctors a care plan -- an outline of how doctors plan to treat their cancers.

• Patients should also receive a treatment summary at the end of therapy. This should outline all surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, medications, and dosages.

• A plan for ongoing care should be offered to all cancer patients so they know how to monitor their health. This plan should include guidance on screening tests, follow-up visits, and potential long-term side effects.

"A lot of anxiety results from not knowing what comes next", says one patient advocate. "People armed with good information tend to make better decisions."

Technology has come a long way over the years -- and now the technology behind digital mammography is allowing life-saving screenings for the toughest patients to diagnose with breast cancer.

This is no small technological breakthough. It is a critical component for lowering the breast cancer death rate the American Cancer Society reports has declined 2.3 percent each year between 1990 and 2002. Since breast cancer is a treatable disease if caught early, digital mammography will up the odds of survival for women with this disease.

Digital mammography operates according to a computer-based technique that allows for digital manipulation of a breast X-ray. It exceeds the capability of film mammography -- and is much like the comparison between digital photography versus film photography. Both work. But one works better.

Studies show digital mammograms have a lot to offer. They detect tumors better in young women with dense breast tissue, for example. They allow for ease of storage and retrieval of images. And they can easily become part of a woman's electronic medical record.

There are still benefits of traditional mammography and women are still urged to use this less expensive option. They are also urged to conduct self-breast exams and to report for clinical exams with physicians. It's the whole package that contributes to comprehensive breast health, not just one isolated test. When used in combination with all other screening methods, digital mammography makes for a more accurate overall picture.

The outlandish comedian Tom Green will sit at home in his livingroom and host an internet-only talk show. During his stay at MTV, he taped The Tom Green Cancer Special, an intimate sharing of his diagnosis, surgery and recovery from testicular cancer in the usual Tom Green style of humor. It appears, in his new weekly phone-in internet-only talk show, his cohost will be his pet parrot Rex Murphy. Debuting June 15, Green will tape 50 episodes from his Hollywood Hills home.

"It seemed like the ultimate playground for someone like me," Green told the Associated Press Monday. "I've always enjoyed doing goofy experimental stuff that sometimes was too weird to put on a TV show but was fun artistically." The anything goes Tom Green show will air on ManiaTV.com. According to ManiaTV's VP of programming, Richard Ayoub, ManiaTV has no standards and practices.

Green is a six-year cancer survivor who proves that there is an uproarious life to be lived after a cancer diagnosis. Green certainly doesn't appear to have lost his sense of humor. In addition to his upcoming internet-only talk show, Green keeps a website and a blog.