ciss.org.au

CISS is an independent Australian organisation that provides information about alternative cancer therapies, evaluates conventional therapies, and offers personal support to people who choose their own treatment programme. It is aimed at people with cancer who want to take control of their health decisions, and it is explicitly not a conventional medical clinic. Detailed information is reserved for members; the public site mainly sets out the organisation's philosophy, its independence, and how to join or donate.

What CISS says it does

According to its own site, CISS:

• Provides information about alternative cancer therapies and support for those who choose to use them.
• Also evaluates conventional therapies rather than only promoting alternatives.
• Offers personal support in person, by phone, or by email.
• Supplies detailed, comprehensive information to members — both individual and corporate.

The site frames its role as helping people decide their own treatment programme "after being given accurate, unbiased, evidence based options about available treatments," and then supporting them in the programme they choose.

The core beliefs behind the organisation

CISS states several positions that shape everything it publishes:

• Cancer is a systemic disease, not just a local tumour.
• Emotional factors play a significant part in its cause.
• Healing comes from within; treatment is what other people do to help.
• Effective treatment should deal with body, mind, emotions, and spirit.
• People get the best results when they take responsibility for their treatment choices and believe in them.

It also applies a "First Do No Harm" principle: most conventional cancer therapies are described as invasive, some with the potential for serious harm, and in CISS's view they should be used only in immediately life-threatening situations and where there is proven evidence they do more good than harm. The site cites a Cochrane analysis of mammography for breast cancer screening as an example of an intervention it says results in treatments that do more harm than good.

Independence and how it is funded

CISS describes itself as independent: not influenced or funded by any government or private organisation with vested interests. It says it survives on membership fees, donations, and bequests from people it has helped, plus unconditional corporate philanthropy. This funding model is the basis for its claim to provide unbiased information — worth weighing alongside the fact that detailed information is a member benefit.

What you can and cannot get without joining

The site does not present itself as a source of free detailed treatment information; that content sits behind membership.

How this differs from a typical cancer information site

Most mainstream cancer information services are tied to hospitals, government health bodies, or cancer charities that follow conventional oncology guidelines. CISS positions itself differently on three points:

1. Scope — it treats alternative therapies as legitimate options to be informed about, not just things to be warned against.
2. Evaluation stance — it applies a harm-focused test to conventional therapies, questioning whether some do more good than harm.
3. Holistic framing — it treats emotional and spiritual factors as part of both cause and treatment, which is not the standard biomedical model.

If you want information aligned with conventional oncology protocols, a hospital or national cancer body will serve you better. If you want a source that takes alternative therapies seriously and is sceptical of some conventional ones, CISS is designed for that audience.

The disclaimer you should read before acting on anything

CISS's own site carries a warning: you should always consult a medical practitioner or specialist familiar with both conventional and alternative cancer therapies — one who practises evidence-based medicine generally, or informed choice in particular — when considering relevant cancer therapies. It also notes that opinions expressed on the website belong to the authors of the articles, not necessarily to CISS as a whole.

That disclaimer matters because the site's content includes positions that diverge from mainstream oncology. Treat CISS as one input into a decision you make with a qualified clinician, not as a substitute for one.

Practical next steps

• If you want the detailed therapy information and ongoing support, you need to join as a member or donate; the public pages describe how.
• If you are weighing conventional treatment, use CISS alongside — not instead of — a specialist who knows both conventional and alternative approaches.
• If you are evaluating the organisation itself, note the funding model (memberships, donations, bequests) and the fact that detailed content is member-only when judging how independent and complete its information is likely to be.

The Cancer Information & Support Society (CISS) at ciss.org.au publishes information about alternative cancer therapies, evaluates conventional therapies, and offers personal support to people who choose their own treatment programs. Its disclaimer is explicit: you should always consult a medical practitioner or specialist familiar with both conventional and alternative cancer therapies who practises evidence-based medicine generally, or informed choice in particular, before considering any relevant cancer therapy. The site also states that opinions expressed on the website belong to the authors of the articles and are not necessarily shared by CISS. In practice, this means the site is a starting point for questions and support, not a substitute for a qualified clinician who knows your case.

What the disclaimer actually says

The disclaimer on the site contains two distinct warnings, and they do different work:

• Consult a qualified practitioner. The site directs readers to a medical practitioner or medical specialist who is familiar with both conventional and alternative cancer therapies and who practises evidence-based medicine in general, or informed choice in particular.
• Attribute opinions correctly. All opinions expressed on the website are those of the article authors, not necessarily the position of CISS as an organisation.

The second point matters when you read a specific article. A single author's view on a therapy is not the same as a consensus position, and the site itself flags that distinction.

Why CISS frames information this way

CISS describes itself as independent, stating it is not influenced or funded by any government or private organisation with vested interests. It says it survives on membership fees, donations, and bequests from people it has helped, plus unconditional corporate philanthropy.

That funding model shapes how the information is presented. CISS says it provides detailed information only to members, both individual and corporate, and invites people to join to receive what it calls detailed, comprehensive, unbiased, evidence-based information on cancer therapies, along with ongoing support. So the public pages give you the philosophy and the disclaimer; the detailed material sits behind membership.

The treatment philosophy behind the information

Understanding the philosophy helps you read the site's content critically. CISS states several positions:

• It believes cancer is a systemic disease and that emotional factors play a significant part in its cause.
• It believes healing comes from within, and that treatment is what other people do to help.
• It suggests people with cancer take control of their health and decide their own treatment program after being given accurate, unbiased, evidence-based options.
• It believes effective treatment should deal with body, mind, emotions, and spirit, and supports people in their chosen program.

It also applies a "first do no harm" principle, arguing that most conventional cancer therapies are invasive and some can cause serious harm, so they should only be used in immediately life-threatening situations and where there is proven evidence they do more good than harm. On evidence, CISS says treatments should be based on trial results showing the intervention does more good than harm, and cites a Cochrane analysis of mammography for breast cancer screening that it says concluded the practice results in treatments that do more harm than good.

These are the site's stated positions. They are not neutral summaries of mainstream oncology, and readers should treat them as one perspective among others.

How to use the site responsibly

If you are using ciss.org.au to inform a treatment decision, a few practical steps follow from the disclaimer itself:

1. Treat articles as author opinions. Check who wrote a piece and whether it reflects CISS's position or an individual view.
2. Bring what you find to a clinician. The disclaimer specifically points to a practitioner familiar with both conventional and alternative therapies who practises evidence-based medicine or informed choice. That is the person positioned to evaluate the material against your diagnosis.
3. Separate support from treatment claims. CISS offers personal support in person, by phone, or by email, and describes extra skills for managing a chosen program. Support and information are not the same as clinical treatment.
4. Expect a membership boundary. Detailed information is described as available to members, so some content will not be visible without joining.

What the site does not tell you

The available material does not state prices, membership costs, or whether joining requires payment beyond the reference to membership fees. It also does not provide a full list of the therapies covered or the evidence behind each one on the public pages. If cost or scope matters to your decision, that is a question to raise directly with CISS rather than assume.

The core takeaway is straightforward: CISS presents itself as an independent source of alternative and conventional therapy information with a specific philosophy, and its own disclaimer tells you to verify anything you read with a qualified practitioner before acting on it. Use the site to generate questions and find support, and use a clinician familiar with both approaches to help you decide.

The Cancer Information & Support Society (CISS) at ciss.org.au promotes a philosophy that treats cancer as a systemic disease and places the patient at the centre of every treatment decision. It combines openness to alternative cancer therapies with critical evaluation of conventional ones, and it insists that patients should choose their own programme after receiving accurate, unbiased, evidence-based options. This approach will appeal most to people who want to take personal responsibility for their health and who are open to therapies beyond standard oncology — and it is explicitly not a substitute for consulting a qualified medical practitioner.

Cancer as a systemic disease

CISS states that it believes cancer is a systemic disease, not simply a localised problem to be cut out or irradiated. Within that view, emotional factors are held to play a significant part in its cause. This has a direct practical consequence: a treatment programme that only targets a tumour, in CISS's framing, is not addressing the whole picture.

Healing comes from within

A second pillar is the distinction CISS draws between healing and treatment:

• Healing is described as something that comes from within the person.
• Treatment is described as what other people do to help.

This is not just semantics. It shifts the patient from passive recipient to active participant, and it is the reason CISS emphasises support, skills and personal responsibility rather than simply handing over a protocol.

Treating body, mind, emotions and spirit

CISS believes effective treatment should deal with four dimensions — body, mind, emotions and spirit. Programmes that ignore the psychological and emotional side are, in this view, incomplete. CISS supports people in their chosen programme and provides the extra skills it considers necessary for that task, delivered through personal support in person, by phone or by email.

"First Do No Harm" and a cautious view of conventional therapy

CISS applies a precautionary standard to conventional cancer therapies. Its stated position is that most conventional therapies are invasive and some have the potential to cause serious harm, so they should be used only in immediately life-threatening situations and only where there is proven evidence that they do more good than harm.

It extends the same evidentiary standard to screening. CISS cites a Cochrane analysis of mammography for breast cancer screening which, it says, concluded that screening results in treatments that do more harm than good. The organisation describes its stance as evidence based: because some medical interventions may cause harm, treatments should rest on trial results showing the intervention does more good than harm.

Take control of your health

CISS advises people with cancer to take responsibility for their treatment choices and to believe in them, reporting that patients get the best results this way. The sequence it sets out is:

1. Obtain accurate, unbiased, evidence-based options about available treatments.
2. Decide your own treatment programme.
3. Receive ongoing support and practical skills for the programme you have chosen.

Independence and how information is accessed

CISS states that it is not influenced or funded by any government or private organisation with vested interests, and that it survives on membership fees, donations and bequests, including unconditional corporate philanthropy. Detailed information is provided only to members — both individual and corporate — so the comprehensive material sits behind membership rather than being fully open on the site. Membership and donation are the routes CISS describes for accessing that detail and its ongoing support.

What CISS is not

The site carries a disclaimer warning that you should always consult a medical practitioner or specialist familiar with both conventional and alternative cancer therapies — one who practises evidence-based medicine generally, or informed choice in particular — when considering relevant cancer therapies. Opinions expressed on the website are those of the article authors. In other words, CISS presents itself as an information and support organisation, not as a provider of medical treatment or a replacement for clinical care.

Who this philosophy suits

This framework tends to fit people who:

• Want to weigh alternative and conventional options side by side rather than accept a single recommended protocol.
• See emotional and psychological factors as central to illness and recovery.
• Prefer to make their own treatment decisions after reviewing the evidence.
• Are looking for ongoing personal support while pursuing a self-chosen programme.

It will fit less well if you are seeking a specific treatment protocol, a clinical service, or guidance that does not require you to evaluate competing evidence yourself. In all cases, the organisation's own disclaimer points back to a qualified, evidence-based practitioner as the appropriate source of medical advice.

CISS (Cancer Information & Support Society) offers individual and corporate membership, and it also accepts donations and bequests. According to its own site, detailed information is provided only to members, while the organisation says it is independent and survives on membership fees, donations and bequests. If you want the full, detailed information and ongoing support, membership is the route described; if you only want to sustain the service, donating is the other option mentioned.

What CISS says members receive

From the site's own description, membership (individual or corporate) is what unlocks:

• Detailed, comprehensive information on cancer therapies — described as unbiased and evidence based.
• Ongoing support for the treatment program a person chooses.
• Extra skills intended to help members carry out that program.
• Personal support delivered in person, by phone, or by email.

The site frames this around a specific philosophy: that cancer is a systemic disease, that emotional factors play a significant part in its cause, and that treatment should address body, mind, emotions and spirit. It also states that people with cancer get the best results when they take responsibility for their treatment choices and believe in them.

Membership types

The site does not publish membership pricing, tier differences, or a sign-up form in the material available here, so those specifics would need to be confirmed directly with CISS.

How the organisation is funded

CISS states it is not influenced or funded by any government or private organisation with vested interests. It says it survives on:

• Membership fees
• Donations
• Bequests from people it has helped
• Unconditional corporate philanthropy

This matters for how you read its material: the funding model is presented as the basis for its claim of independence, and it is also the reason detailed information is gated behind membership rather than given away.

Joining or supporting: what to do

1. Decide which role fits you — member (to receive the detailed therapy information and ongoing support) or donor (to fund the service without necessarily using it).
2. Go to ciss.org.au and look for the membership or donation path. The site's own text invites visitors to "join us and receive this detailed comprehensive unbiased, evidence based information on cancer therapies and ongoing support or donate to enable us to provide these services."
3. Expect to make contact — because personal support is offered in person, by phone or by email, and because pricing is not published in the available material, the practical next step is to reach out through the site's contact route and ask what membership costs and what the current process is.
4. If donating, confirm with CISS how donations are handled and whether bequests are something you want to arrange.

What CISS says about evidence and conventional treatment

Two positions on the site are worth knowing before you join, because they shape the information you would receive:

• "First Do No Harm" — most conventional cancer therapies are described as invasive, some with potential for serious harm, and in CISS's view they should be used only in immediately life-threatening situations and where there is proven evidence they do more good than harm.
• "Evidence Based" — CISS argues treatments should rest on trial results showing the intervention does more good than harm, and cites a Cochrane analysis of mammography for breast cancer screening that it says concluded the screening leads to treatments doing more harm than good.

The site also carries a disclaimer: you should always consult a medical practitioner or specialist familiar with both conventional and alternative cancer therapies, and who practises evidence-based medicine generally or informed choice in particular, when considering relevant cancer therapies. It notes that opinions expressed on the website are those of the article authors.

Practical points before you commit

• Detailed information is member-only. If you want the substance rather than the summary, membership is the stated requirement.
• Pricing and sign-up mechanics are not in the available material. Treat cost and process as things to verify with CISS directly rather than assume.
• The philosophy is explicit and non-neutral. CISS is openly sceptical of most conventional cancer therapies and centres emotional and systemic factors. If that framing does not match what you want, that is a reason to look elsewhere; if it does, membership is designed around it.
• Support is personal and ongoing, not a one-off document — the site describes in-person, phone and email support as part of what members get.

CISS (Cancer Information & Support Society, ciss.org.au) applies evidence-based medicine by requiring that any cancer treatment — conventional or alternative — be supported by trial results showing it does more good than harm. In practice, this leads CISS to a restrictive position on most conventional therapies: it argues they should be used only in immediately life-threatening situations where proven evidence shows the benefits outweigh the harms. CISS also treats emotional and mind-body factors as part of the picture, and says it provides detailed information only to members.

The Core Principle: "First Do No Harm"

CISS states that most conventional cancer therapies are invasive and some have the potential to cause serious harm. From this it draws a specific rule:

• A treatment should be used only when there is proven evidence that it does more good than harm.
• Because some medical interventions may cause harm, treatments should be based on results from trials showing the intervention does more good than harm.
• Conventional therapies, in CISS's view, should be reserved for immediately life-threatening situations where that evidence exists.

This is the mechanism behind CISS's stance: it is not rejecting evidence-based medicine as an idea, but applying a strict harm-benefit threshold that most conventional treatments, as CISS describes them, do not meet outside life-threatening cases.

How CISS Evaluates Conventional Therapies

CISS says it evaluates conventional therapies as well as providing information about alternative cancer therapies. Its stated criteria are:

CISS frames this as supporting informed choice: it says people with cancer get the best results when they take responsibility for their treatment choices and believe in them.

The Mammography Example

To illustrate its approach, CISS cites a Cochrane analysis of mammography for breast cancer screening. According to CISS, that analysis concluded mammography results in treatments that do more harm than good. CISS presents this chart as an example of how it applies the evidence-based standard — weighing not just whether a test or treatment finds or treats disease, but whether the overall balance of benefit and harm is favorable.

If you want to examine this reasoning yourself, the useful step is to locate the underlying Cochrane review and check its stated conclusions, rather than relying on the summary alone.

Beyond Trials: Mind, Emotions, and Systemic Disease

CISS's evidence standard sits alongside a broader treatment philosophy. CISS states that it believes:

• Cancer is a systemic disease.
• Emotional factors play a significant part in its cause.
• Healing comes from within; treatment is what other people do to help.
• Effective treatment should deal with the body, mind, emotions, and spirit.

CISS then says it supports people in their chosen program and provides extra skills for that task, through personal support in person, by phone, or by email.

What This Means If You Are Considering CISS

• If you want conventional treatment options evaluated against a strict harm-benefit test, CISS's stated framework matches that interest — but note its threshold is narrower than mainstream oncology practice, which typically accepts treatments with meaningful benefit even when side effects are significant.
• If you want detailed information, CISS states it provides detailed, comprehensive information only to members (individual and corporate), and that it survives on membership fees, donations, and bequests. The site does not indicate that detailed information is free or accessible without membership.
• If you are making a treatment decision, CISS's own disclaimer says you should always consult a medical practitioner or specialist familiar with both conventional and alternative cancer therapies and who practises evidence-based medicine or informed choice. CISS also notes that opinions on its website are those of the article authors.

The practical takeaway: CISS applies evidence-based medicine by demanding trial evidence of net benefit, then uses that demand to argue most conventional therapies should be confined to immediately life-threatening situations. Whether you find that threshold reasonable is the decision the framework asks you to make.