Cancer is caused by unregulated growth of our own cells. What makes these proliferating cells more harmful than their normal counterparts? How are tumors characterized and why is this important for treatment? We learn how cancer cells exit their primary organ and through the process of metastasis find a secondary organ. We will take a look at the critical role that our immune system plays in fighting cancers, and how the rare percentage of cancers that evade the immune system find ways to do that. In this course we zoom out from looking at cancer as a disease of abnormal cells, to looking at how it causes system-wide disease in a human body.

Pre-requisites: Students should have a general understanding of tissue structure, including the basement membrane and stroma.

Not offered this term