From the Firstlight team
Staying current, for the person you love
Plain-language guides for families navigating a cancer diagnosis — how to follow new research, make sense of clinical trials, ask better questions at appointments, and keep medical information private. No jargon, no medical advice — just help staying organized and informed.
-
June 16, 2026 · Guide
How to stay on top of new cancer research for someone you love
When someone you love is diagnosed, the research never stops moving — new trials open, studies publish, drugs get approved. Here is a practical, repeatable system for following what matters without drowning in PubMed tabs or false hope.
Read the guide → -
June 16, 2026 · Guide
What to ask your oncologist about clinical trials
Clinical trials can be one of the most important conversations you have with an oncology team — and one of the most confusing. Here are the questions worth bringing to the appointment, and what the answers actually mean.
Read the guide → -
June 16, 2026 · Guide
How to read ClinicalTrials.gov without a medical degree
The official trial registry is written for researchers, not families. Here's how to read a listing and pull out the few things — NCT number, status, phase, eligibility — that tell you whether a trial is worth asking about.
Read the guide → -
June 16, 2026 · Guide
How to research colorectal cancer treatment options
The search that started Firstlight. How a family can research colorectal cancer treatment options carefully — the biomarkers that matter, the sources worth trusting, and how to turn it all into a good conversation with the oncology team.
Read the guide → -
June 16, 2026 · Perspective
Private vs cloud cancer apps: why local-first matters for medical data
Most health apps send your data to the cloud — and most aren't covered by HIPAA. Here's what that means for a loved one's cancer information, and why local-first design is worth caring about.
Read the guide →