- International Fees
International fees are typically 3.25 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
Course Overview
This course provides a critical examination of public perceptions of cancer, addressing common misconceptions and media portrayals. Students will study the characteristics of benign and malignant neoplasms, the natural history of malignancies, tumour progression, the metastatic cascade, and mechanisms of tumour spread. Topics include the epidemiology and etiology of cancer, universal classification systems for staging and grading, and diagnostic methods. The course also reviews cancer prevention initiatives, screening programs, and introduces key medical terminology used in radiation oncology.
Prerequisite(s)
- No prerequisites are required for this course.
Credits
3.5
- Not offered this term
- This course is not offered this term. Notify me to receive email notifications when the course opens for registration next term.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Apply medical terminology to the study of oncology and radiation therapy.
- Critically analyze the public’s perceptions of cancer and how it is portrayed in the media.
- Describe the natural history of benign and malignant neoplasms including the stages of carcinogenesis and mechanisms of metastasis.
- Recognize common diagnostic methods and the challenges in detecting early malignant disease.
- Describe the concepts of epidemiology and etiology in the study of malignant disease.
- Recognize the universal classification systems used in staging cancer and how these systems relate to the natural history of the disease.
- Identify the importance of public prevention programs and which populations should be targeted according to tumor type.
- Classify cancer screening programs by the specific disease and target screening group while justifying the required demographic characteristics of that screening group.
Effective as of Fall 2025
Related Programs
Radiation Therapy 1 (RADT 5104) is offered as a part of the following programs:
School of Health Sciences
- Radiation Therapy
Bachelor of Science Full-time
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice.