Cancer is one of the global challenges that touches humanity the most. In the United States alone, the direct and indirect costs of cancer amount to billions of dollars a year. Almost every family in the Western world will be affected by cancer at some point in their lives.

The landscape of cancer treatment and prevention is vastly different than it was a decade ago. Scientists have been on a positive trajectory of discovery thanks to a new focus on medicine. Researchers are getting a deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved and are on the verge of a breakthrough.

It is not surprising to read conflicting reports about causes and treatments with the wealth of findings in this field. It can be difficult to separate fact from fiction, but if we arm ourselves with a scientific understanding of cancer, we will not only have the tools to evaluate emerging news, but we will be in a better position to prevent and grapple with the disease.

Science knows about cancer. Reports from the front lines of the war on cancer give a clear and scientifically precise guide to how the disease develops, thrives, and can potentially be conquered. The course is taught by David Sadava, a laboratory researcher at the City of Hope Medical Center and an award-winning professor of biology at The Claremont Colleges.

Professor Sadava answers your questions about cancer and debunks myths with a level of specificity, scientific rigor, and candor that is rare to find, using a highly visual, step-by-step approach that takes you deep inside the cancer cell.

You will explore with his help.

• why cancer rates have risen over the last century;

• what agents and conditions cause cancer, from tobacco and radiation to diet and female reproductive status;

• how DNA changes underlie the development of cancer;

• the specific genes involved in making cells progress, divide, and spread;

• the methods physicians employ when battling cancer; and

• how behavior modification, drugs, vaccines, and compounds found in natural substances may help prevent cancer.

There is a scientist’s perspective on cancer.

Professor Sadava presents cancer at the macro and microscopic levels as he lays bare the crisis it creates for both humanity and the human body. You will learn how the mechanisms that facilitate tumor growth are similar to the gas pedal and brakes in your car, as you venture inside cells to learn the conditions that lead them to become specialized or cancerous.

It was organized and delivered. Science knows about cancer. The framework is used to investigate the multistage model of cancer.

• Part one begins with an overview of the challenge cancer presents for society and an examination of the history of cancer dating back over 3,000 years.

• Part two delves into how scientists use epidemiology to identify environmental agents of cancer, and introduces how spontaneous changes in the expression and duplication of DNA can go awry.

• Part three looks at tumors—from how they grow and metastasize to how they’re diagnosed, staged, and graded by physicians.

• Part four reveals recent discoveries about genes and inherited cancers, cancer-causing viruses, and the molecular biology of cancer.

• Part five describes how the three major methods of treatment—surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy—have evolved over time and are frequently used in combination.

• Part six offers a frank analysis of the state of cancer screening and prevention.

These lectures are not designed to look at the treatment of individual cancers. Through advances in science, you can understand how the disease operates and how it might be stopped.

There is a wealth of eye- opening discoveries.

You will learn about new targeted therapies, such as drugs that attack DNA and other cell processes, and vaccines that harness a patient’s own white blood cells, in this course. As you are introduced to treatments in the early stages of development, such as tumor-specific viruses that destroy tumor cells while leaving normal cells unharmed, you will be filled with a sense of optimism.

Here is a glimpse of some of the other surprising information.

• About 10% of cancer is initiated by viruses, and a roughly similar percentage of cancer is inherited.

• Things many people assume causes cancer—such as pollutants and food additives—may not be as significant as natural substances in foods and normal reproductive processes.

• Public policies such as home radon testing may be based on false assumptions about the risks for cancer.

• Tumors can recruit their own blood supply through the process of angiogenesis.

• Some cancer occurs spontaneously, simply because of imperfections in our chemistry.

Prevention is the best medicine.

Also highlighting carcinogens to avoid. Science knows about cancer. Professor Sadava is one of the leading researchers investigating natural agents for their anti-cancer properties.

You will consider the benefits and efficacy of various types of cancer screening, including genetic testing for the breast cancer gene (BRCA1). Along the way, you will consider ethical and legal questions regarding the costs associated with these tests, their rates of false positives, what should be done with the information, and whether their routine use has a significant impact on rates of survival.

As a lab researcher at the forefront of this fight who works at the City of Hope Medical Center, Professor Sadava is uniquely qualified to offer a straightforward explanation steeped in the latest science. He never overwhelms with data even though he is presenting high-level findings. He offers a nuanced interpretation that places research within its broader context, as only a scientist of his caliber is capable of doing.

An abundance of edifying charts, slides, and animations provide a rich visual reference for the information presented, while in-depth accounts of patient histories, clinical trials, and epidemiologic studies enrich your experience and aid comprehension.

Cancer isn’t something we like to think about, but knowledge is power. Change the way you view this challenge. Science knows about cancer. .

This is not true.

These lectures are not intended to be used as medical references. Professor Sadava and The Great Courses are not responsible for the consequences of using this educational material. A qualified physician can answer questions about the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a medical condition or illness.

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