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New immune system-boosting cancer drugs have in clinical trials saved the lives of many people with seemingly untreatable melanoma or lung cancer, but the drugs seem useless against colon cancer. One exception-a man with colon cancer whose metastatic tumors vanished for several years after he was treated in 2007-piqued researchers' interest. They suspected his recovery might have to do with the large number of mutations in his tumors. Now, a small clinical trial suggests that even cancer patients with types of tumors that were thought to be impervious to the new drugs could benefit if those malignancies have the right error-riddled DNA signature, a result that could help 3% to 4% of cancer patients.

Cold Spring Harbour cancer site, sections include: Hallmarks of Cancer Causes and Prevention Diagnosis and Treatment Pathways to Cancer

This flipped case study begins with a video in which a student reveals a family member's diagnosis with breast cancer and then considers the whirlwind of questions that arise in such a situation. Students are asked to relate to the main character and identify what questions they would have and what resources they could consult to seek information.  This sets the context for students to use websites and videos to investigate the nature of cancer, its causes, and progression. Students then learn about the major methods of cancer treatment (surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy), how they work, and the limitations and side effects of each. The case concludes by addressing the claim of one of the characters that there is a conspiracy to hide a cure for cancer. The case would be implemented near the middle of a high school, non-majors, or introductory biology course after discussion of basic cell biology and the cell cycle.

The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the International Union for Cancer Control (UICC) maintain the TNM classification system as a tool for doctors to stage different types of cancer based on certain standards. It's reviewed every 6 to 8 years to include advances in our understanding of cancer.

Artificially boosting the body's immune response against cancer is the most exciting advance in the treatment of tumors in the past couple of years. But as the jam-packed sessions at a recent scientific conference in New York City made clear, a lot of questions remain to be answered before anyone can declare victory in the war on cancer. Among them: What is the best way to kick the immune system into action? Will immunotherapy work for all sorts of people with all kinds of cancer or just for a lucky few? Is there a way to make the treatments less dangerous or expensive?

Cancer treatment like chemotherapy can wreak havoc on a patient's body - even if it's an adorable dog. But one man's plan to print cancer-killing viruses could change cancer treatment forever.

For researchers, understanding how cancer cells function differently from normal cells lays the foundation for developing treatments designed to rid the body of cancer cells without damaging normal cells.

Penn Medicine Cancer resources for patients and healthcare professionals

National Cancer Institute educational images of wide variety of images: anatomy, cancers, cells, tissues, historical images, people, events, science technology, treatment, test procedure, 

A new treatment for pancreatic cancer could significantly increase survival rates, Ulster University has claimed. It said the treatment could lead to a five-fold reduction in tumour size. It involves injecting tumours with oxygen micro bubbles that are coated with a drug which is then activated by ultrasound.

When Jordan is diagnosed with brain cancer (glioblastoma multiform), his college plans are unexpectedly put on hold. This scenario is presented in order to teach students about gene regulation, as the efficacy of the drug Jordan receives for post-surgical treatment is dependent upon the activity level of a gene encoding a protein involved in DNA repair. This "flipped" case study requires students to prepare in advance outside of class by watching several short videos that have been selected to teach the basics of how cancer forms as well as the role of epigenetics in gene silencing. Inside of class, the case is delivered using progressive disclosure format in which students gradually receive additional information to answer a series of directed questions. To determine a treatment plan for Jordan, students analyze data from a research study involving patients treated for his specific type of cancer. The case is designed for advanced high school biology classes as well as lower-level undergraduate general biology courses for non-majors and majors.

At the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington DC this week, Wolchok and other researchers will report on their search for immunotherapy markers - ways to predict a patient's response to an immunotherapy or to show whether a given treatment is working. The work is hampered by the complexity of the immune system, but early results are converging on one point: that patients' own immune responses to cancer are crucial in determining outcomes.

The rise of immunotherapy has been one of the most startling and promising developments in cancer research for some time. After decades of false starts and dead ends, scientists have finally found effective ways of marshaling the immune system to destroy cancers.

General article describing how doctors describe if cancer is present.

This dilemma/decision case study is intended to demonstrate how knowledge of signal transduction pathways can be applied to the pharmaceutical industry and within a medical setting. The case scenario revolves around a physician scientist's analysis of a chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patient's resistance to the cancer drug Gleevec® (imatinib). Students explore the molecular targets of drugs that inhibit cell signaling, while considering the best course of treatment for the medical patient. Written for an undergraduate sophomore level cell biology course, the case is also suitable for general biology, genetics, molecular biology, pharmacology, and cancer biology.

Cancer defined with risk factors and treatments

This clicker case was designed to teach students about basic enzyme structure, mechanisms of enzyme inhibition, and mechanisms of drug resistance. The story follows Oliver Casey, a patient afflicted with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). CML is caused by a chromosomal mutation that affects the tyrosine kinase ABL, an enzyme important in regulating cell growth and proliferation. The chromosomal mutation gives rise to the BCR-ABL fusion gene that produces a constitutively active ABL kinase, which causes the leukemia. In May 2001, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of a rationally designed tyrosine kinase inhibitor, imatinib (Gleevec®), for the treatment of CML. During that same month, Gleevec made the cover of TIME magazine, described as "new ammunition in the war on cancer." The case is structured for a flipped classroom environment in which students view preparatory videos (including one by the author) on their own before beginning the case. Written for a first-year introductory biology course, the case could also be adapted for AP/Honors high school biology or a cancer biology course.

Overview of cancer with animation and basic explanation 5:00min

8:38 video Ever wonder why we still haven't cured cancer? Join SciShow as we discuss what's wrong with that question and why it's so hard to find a cure.

Advanced prostate cancer treatment