A Mobile Solution to Beat Cancer Together: BELONG

Millions of people rely on their GPS or apps like Google Maps to navigate from place to place, but when it comes to serious medical conditions like cancer, they’re driving blind. In January 2016, a free mobile solution called Belong launched in the United States to put control back into the hands of people with cancer; to keep them informed, connected, organized and in better control of their treatment journey.

Driving analogies aside, people with any type of cancer and in any phase of their treatment can learn more from the Belong suite of tools than from almost any other resource that can lead to more informed decisions and access to treatment options, side-effect relief tips and emotional support. 

The Belong app is the world’s largest social network for cancer patients and caregivers. The Belong app provides cancer patients, a personalized solution to help manage and fight cancer more effectively. The service includes:

Access: Database of leading oncologists, radiologists, researchers & nurses 

Assistance: Support from a vast social network of others with cancer

Organization: Manage your documents securely on your mobile device

Notifications: Access to a clinical trial matching service

Want to see if anyone else had their clinical trial eligibility change and what that means? Ask through the app. Not feeling great after chemo? Check the network for tried remedies. Need someone to listen who’s been there? Connect through a forum. Didn’t know certain vitamins can impact cancer treatment? Now you know.

Dorit Nitzan, MD, two-time breast cancer survivor and Belong app user, said, “The greatest advantage of Belong is being within arm’s reach of doctors, nurses and experts. They are accessible to all at no cost, linking those who are suitable for clinical trials and guiding us on best treatments and care. Sharing with us updated information on new studies and developments. Supporting us, literally caring for us, pulling and pushing us through this challenging time in our lives.”

Easy-to-use features of Belong include:

• Manage, navigate, and track appointments, treatments, goals, tips, information, and what has worked for others in similar situations.
• A digital binder in which medical records and other information can be securely uploaded, stored, and easily shared.
• Personal clinical trial search, available on request by the user, is a feature implemented through a sophisticated search engine linked to the National Cancer Institute and other leading global research institutes. The goal is to identify trials that may be relevant to the user.
• A unique crowd wisdom network that lets users connect directly and anonymously with others who have cancer to share tips and concerns, to ask and answer questions and to provide emotional support. The ability to share and receive highly-specific information makes Belong the only app of its kind.

The Belong tools help to reduce costs and improve quality of care. “We built the first of its kind mobile community-based treatment navigator – like a GPS for cancer – that compiles crowd wisdom, expert knowledge, the most current care protocols and scientific and clinical research, all delivered in a hyper-personalized and relevant experience to our users,” said Eliran Malki, co-founder and CEO of Belong. “It’s everything a patient needs in one place.”

Read on to learn more about Belong and how it can supplement a patient's cancer treatment regimen.