To help support teachers who are using the Great Diseases Curriculum in their virtual classrooms, we have begun to modify some of our favorite activities to be used virtually. It is our hope that these modified activities can be used by teacher with minimum prep work, while still being hands-on and engaging for students. Below,
Case Study 1 — Barbara’s dilemma: radiation therapy In this study, students must wrestle with the unknowns of science and medicine. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, a patient receives conflicting treatment suggestions from two different doctors. Students must evaluate the pros and cons to each treatment option to arrive at their own suggestion for
How do we treat cancer? The previous unit placed hyperproliferating tumor cells into a tissue context and focused on the important role of metastasis in the transition from a benign tumor to a malignant tumor. It introduced the concept that tumors associated with the same organ may have very different characteristics. This unit puts everything
How does cancer make us sick? The last unit focused on how DNA mutations can interfere with critical cell functions, causing hyperproliferation and leading to tumor formation. This unit draws back and examines the tumor in the context of its environment, emphasizing that for a tumor to become malignant cells must be able to migrate
How does a normal cell become cancerous? Unit 2 used the analogy of cells as productive citizens in a community of organs and tissues. Unit 3 will now focus on the normal functions of a cell that get disrupted when it becomes cancerous. It examines the role of DNA mutations in cancer, and how cancer
What does it mean to be a “normal” cell? Unit 2 introduces the concept that the body is composed of a community of cells. These cells are all ‘normal’ until mutations cause them to behave abnormally and become cancer cells. This unit describes the function of normal cells by outlining key aspects in the life
What is cancer and why should we care? The purpose of this unit is to engage students on the topic of cancer, by showing them how they can be personally impacted by cancer and by explaining how major questions in the cancer field impact our ability to treat cancer successfully. Students learn about how we
The Cancer (CA) Module focuses on understanding cancer as a disease, and the challenges of diagnosing and treating it. The Cancer Module has five units, each of which builds upon the others that came before it. The goal of each unit is to answer a key question about cancer, and what this means for our