OncologySTAT Celebrates More Than 12,000 Registered Users, Including 20 Percent of U.S. Hematologists, Oncologists

June 2008, New York, NY – OncologySTAT, the first subscription-free professional oncology portal from an international scientific, technical and medical publisher, today commemorated its 12,000th registered user.

Backed by the support of major healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, OncologySTAT has emerged as one of the most trusted and trafficked professional Web sites in the growing field of cancer care. Since its launch in September 2007, the site has attracted more than 12,000 registrants, nearly 70 percent of whom are physicians or healthcare professionals involved in cancer care, as well as more than 80,000 unique visitors and one million page views. More than 2,200 of OncologySTAT’s registered users are U.S.-based oncologists, representing a 20 percent-plus penetration of the U.S. hematology/oncology physician audience.

“OncologySTAT has rapidly become a leading online professional cancer resource for clinicians, researchers and decision makers,” said Lee Schwartzberg, M.D., FACP., and OncologySTAT’s Editor-in-Chief. “It offers users free access to an unprecedented collection of medical journals, news, conference coverage and clinical tools, empowering healthcare professionals to make more effective business and cancer care decisions.”

Elsevier, the world’s leading provider of medical and health education and information, provides content, technical and business management for OncologySTAT. The portal provides instant access to multiple professional cancer resources, including journals, books, drug monographs, news and databases – in a single online location.

In addition, the site is newly certified by the Health on the Net Foundation (HON) a non-profit, non-governmental organization accredited to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations that promotes and guides the deployment of useful and reliable online medical and health information, and its appropriate and efficient use.

Content Offerings Lead to Top Search Result Ranking
Upon registering, OncologySTAT users can search and download current oncology-related, peer-reviewed articles from more than 100 Elsevier journals or stay informed and up-to-date through features such as daily industry news and regulatory updates, a comprehensive chemotherapy regimens database, professional drug and interaction databases, and weekly summaries of top oncology research findings from over 50 publications. All site content is organized by 29 cancer types, enabling oncologists to instantly access the latest news and scientific updates pertaining to their specialty.

“In less than one year of operation, OncologySTAT regularly surfaces on the first page of organic search results for Google ‘oncology’ searches,” says Monique Fayad, Senior Vice President at Elsevier and Publisher. “This is a direct result of the breadth and depth of free professional cancer care content, plus complimentary access to oncology-related articles from more than 100 Elsevier medical journals. No other site can compete with the volume and quality of free unbiased information that OncologySTAT provides to oncologists.”

OncologySTAT also provides cancer patients, survivors and caregivers − who comprise 13 percent of the registered user base − with access to the same information used by experienced cancer care professionals. For example, among the site’s top attractions are daily medical and regulatory news feeds from Elsevier’s Global Medical News and the Pink Sheet Daily.

Dr. Prateek Mendiratta, a hematology/oncology fellow at Duke University Medical Center, considers OncologySTAT “one of the best sites available for the practicing or training oncologist.” Dr. Mendiratta uses OncologySTAT approximately four times per week and praises its rapid news updates, e-mail alerts, chemotherapy regimens and free access to information regarding clinical trials and new scientifically-based therapies. Dr. Mendiratta says, “OncologySTAT aims to provide a centralized resource for the practicing oncologist. It disseminates critical information in a concise, precise, and effective manner. We also have an opportunity to have a glimpse of what the experts in the field are thinking and believe are important. Very few sites out there are able to accomplish this as well as OncologySTAT.”

The OncologySTAT advisory board includes 10 of the most influential names in oncology, including two past-presidents of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The editorial team is led by Dr. Schwartzberg, and includes a team of medical oncologists, professional medical writers and oncology fellows.