The Cancer Problem: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention

Catalog description

Approximately one in three Americans will develop invasive cancer during their lifetime; one in five Americans will die from this disease. This course will expose you to multiple ways of approaching the cancer problem, including laboratory research, clinical trials, population studies, public health interventions, and health care economics. We will explore the role of scientific research in revealing the genetic basis of cancer. We will also discuss the development of new treatments for cancer as well as measures to screen for and prevent cancer, including the ongoing debate over tobacco control. Using cancer as a case study, you will learn important aspects of the scientific method including experimental design, data analysis, and the difference between correlation and causation. You will learn how science can be used and misused relative to the public good. You will also learn about ways in which social, political, and economic forces shape our knowledge about and response to disease.