Breast cancer is the most searched for cancer on the internet, yet much of the information available is either inaccurate or hard to read, Cork University Hospital (CUH) has said.

Furthermore, one in three women attending breast cancer clinics in Ireland has limited health literacy. This all means that many women are confused by the information they are receiving.

In an attempt to tackle this issue, CUH has developed a new breast cancer app - FYI: Breast Cancer. It answers the internet's top 50 most searched for questions about breast cancer in plain English, including what are the different types of breast cancer and what treatments are available.

Research carried out by the hospital while developing the app revealed that as much as 90% of information on the internet about breast cancer is inaccurate or difficult to read. This, combined with low health literacy rates, means that many women actually overestimate their risk of developing the disease.

"More and more, we see that patients attending a breast cancer clinic are using the internet for information. With 90% of patients using a mobile phone on a daily basis, we decided that an app would be the best way to communicate correct, easy-to-read information.

"We hope that it will make a major difference to the hundreds of women attending breast cancer clinics who find themselves overwhelmed by the medical information they are given," commented consultant breast surgeon, Mr Mark Corrigan.

The app was developed in conjunction with the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) and University College Cork's Department of Computer Science and School of Nursing and Midwifery, and was funded by the CUH Charity.

According to the charity's chairman, Prof Michael Molloy, it was ‘thrilled' to be able to fund the app.

"It is very much thanks to our very generous supporters that we have been able to create this. We are now looking at raising funds to create other similar informative apps, having seen first hand the difference this app is making."

The app, FYI: Breast Cancer, is available to download on both Android and iPhone. A video explaining the story behind the app can be viewed here