National Cancer Institute
Cancer Information Service · About this organization
What you get
Free, confidential answers to cancer questions and help finding information and resources.
How to start
Call, email, or use LiveHelp and describe your question or the resource you need.
Good to know
- The service provides general cancer information and navigation, not medical advice, diagnosis, or direct financial assistance.
The details, as published
A free and confidential service whose information specialists answer cancer questions and help patients, families, friends, providers, and researchers find reliable information and resources.
What help you may get
Navigation Guides And Advocacy
Cancer information and resource navigation
Trained information specialists provide personalized answers about cancer, treatment, living and coping, finding care, research, clinical trials, and relevant resources.
Noncash help
Can cover
- cancer information
- treatment-center navigation
- clinical-trial information
- community-resource navigation
Does not cover
- medical advice
- direct financial aid
- NCI describes the service as free.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. B-ALL is a childhood cancer and NCI explicitly serves people seeking cancer information, including families of children with cancer.
Age
The program does not publish an age limit.
- The service addresses childhood cancer but publishes no caller age limit.
Treatment status
Newly Diagnosed, Active Treatment, Maintenance Treatment, Relapse Or Recurrence, Post Treatment, Survivorship, Palliative Or Hospice, Bereavement
- Information specialists answer questions across cancer topics, including treatment, coping, research, and clinical trials.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
Residence coverage is not published clearly; confirm with the program.
Where your child is treated
Treatment-location rules are not published clearly; confirm with the program.
Where the service, camp, stay, or experience happens
- NCI LiveHelp — Live chat service accessed through the official NCI contact page.
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? No. A required care-team start is not published; the family can use the available route below.
Who can start: Parent Or Guardian, Patient, Caregiver, Healthcare Team
- Call, open LiveHelp, or email NCI with the cancer question or the type of resource needed.
Ways to apply or ask
- Phone · 1-800-422-6237 — Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern Time.
- Web Form · Open form or page — Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern Time.
- Email · NCIinfo@nih.gov
Documents to prepare
No documents are listed.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Open |
| Funding or space | Not Applicable |
| Application window | Rolling |
| Last checked | Aug 27, 2026 |
- Contact channels operate year-round during published hours.
Limitations and things to confirm
- The service provides general cancer information and navigation, not medical advice, diagnosis, or direct financial assistance.
Official sources
Program details were last verified Aug 27, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- Childhood Cancers · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Contact NCI — Cancer Information Service · checked Aug 27, 2026