School
Health and Human Services
Division
Health Careers
Department
Health Careers
Academic Level
Undergraduate
Course Subject
Allied Health
Course Number
135
Course Title
Fundamental Concepts of Cancer and Cancer Care
Credit Hours
3.00
Instructor Contact Hours Per Semester
47.00 (for 15-week classes)
Student Contact Hours Per Semester
47.00 (for 15-week classes)
Grading Method
A-E
Pre-requisites
AH-100
Catalog Course Description
Provides a general overview of the fundamental concepts of cancer development, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Note: BIO 131 or equivalent is strongly recommended as a prerequisite for this course.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
Core Course Topics
- What is Cancer
- Profile of a Cancer Cell
- How Cancer Spreads
- Identifying the Causes of Cancer
- Chemicals and Cancer
- Radiation and Cancer
- Infectious Agents and Cancer
- Heredity and Cancer
- Oncogenes
- Tumor Suppression
- Cancer Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment
- Preventing Cancer
- Main Types of Cancer including Bladder, Breast, Colorectal, Lung, Lymphoma, Myeloma, Ovarian, Skin and Testicular Cancers
Core Course Learning Objectives (Separated)
- Compare and contrast the basic growth patterns of benign and malignant tumors.
- Explain the Tumor Grading System.
- Describe the fundamental control of cell proliferation.
- Describe how cancer spreads and the key steps involved in the process of metastasis.
- Summarize the key Tumor-Host interactions influencing the development of cancer.
- Explain the role that environmental and life style factors exert in a population’s overall cancer risk.
- Describe the roles of initiation and promotion in chemical carcinogenesis.
- Identify the primary sources for ionizing radiation in humans.
- Explain the role that infectious agents play in triggering human cancers.
- Discuss the overall impact of heredity on cancer risk for the general population.
- Explain the benefits as well as risks involved with genetic testing for cancer predisposition.
- Describe the role of proto-oncogenes.
- Summarize the general features of the five mechanisms for converting proto-oncogenes into cellular oncogenes.
- Describe the six hallmark traits of cancer.
- Explain the difficulty in relying on symptoms for the early detection of cancer.
- Identify the common screening techniques or tests for cancer detection.
- Discuss the roles of radiation and chemotherapy in cancer treatment.
- Briefly discuss the new therapies that are being explored in cancer care.
- Explain the two basic strategies for cancer prevention.
- Explain the types, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment regimens and prognosis for each of the following types of cancer: bladder, breast, colorectal, lung, ovarian, testicular and skin cancer, as well as lymphoma and mycelia.
Assessment and Requirements
Assessment of Academic Achievement
Students will be assessed using a combination of quizzes, class participation, assignments, projects and papers as well as written exams, and a comprehensive final.
General Course Requirements and Recommendations
- Instructors (or their designees) reserve the right to require students to provide proper picture identification for test taking, graded papers or projects or other appropriate purposes.
- HFCC Policy on Academic Dishonesty (Cheating) will be followed in this course.
Texts
Textbook(s) determined through the School of Health and Human Services approval.
Approval Dates
Effective Term
Fall 2019
Review Semester
Fall 2019