Academic Courses > DOS 531
DOS 531 - Clinical Oncology
Course Description
This course covered the entire gamut of complaint to diagnosis to staging to delivery to side effects to survival. We covered every major organ system and body region and most of the cell types in each system that can spawn benign or cancerous lesions. The treatment cycle as a whole is complex and varied according to the specific circumstances of each patient, and this was just a sampler platter of what is usually years of study. Sampler platter or not, we still went home stuffed to bursting.
Assessment
A large portion of the grading was based on 7 weekly quizzes that each covered a different body region or functional system of the body. The quiz material spanned topics including anatomy, etiology, epidemiology, histology, lymphatic drainage, recommended treatment techniques, recommended radiation doses, common field arrangements and port designs, and prognosis for various stages of disease. Another major component of the grade was based on a single large writing assignment, which is discussed in the next section. The weekly quiz format forced me to stay on top of the large amount of reading that was necessary each week, though I wish that the course were a bit more spread out. This class could have actually been several classes, where we cover each aspect of treatment for each organ system one aspect at a time. Then again, seeing it all at once might actually be better because then we have context for why treatment are designed the way they are.
Discussions and Other Writing
This was one of the few classes that did not have mandated weekly discussion posts. There was, however a class project that involved writing a lengthy series of answers to questions about how to simulate, plan, and deliver a craniospinal irradiation (CSI) plan. Reading it will feel a bit stilted since it was a series of answers to questions that were in another document, but here are the files:
Reflections
At the conclusion of each course, students are asked to reflect on what they have learned about the material and about themselves. The reflection is guided by five questions:
The new knowledge and skills I gained during this course were...
This class was a refresher on anatomy as well as an overview of tumor origins, histologies, spread patterns, treatments options, and prognoses. When radiation therapy was indicated for each tumor type and stage, standard field arrangements, fields border landmarks, and dose recommendations were listed. I also learned quite a bit more about CSI planning while researching treatment design for a large class project.
The new knowledge and skills will benefit me by...
Choosing an appropriate treatment technique for a patient is largely the domain of a physician, but this class will be extremely valuable for understanding why certain choices have been made. In cases where a physician seeks advice in choosing between more than one type of radiation plan, understanding the coverage and dosing goals will make me much more able to evaluate the options and report back to the physician.
I struggle with...
The sheer quantity of information is difficult to absorb in such a short period of time. I will most certainly need to review and refresh this material before board exams.
I feel pretty good about...
I have a good grasp on CSI planning concepts, but I have not actually planned one yet. I think I will have a head start as soon as I get my first case. I was also relieved to see that the dose constraints for organs at risk are consistent between the dozens of tumor types. Memorizing a dozen or so organ tolerances will get me through the majority of cases without having to consult reference materials.
Other reflective thoughts...
The histology section of each tumor type discussion was interesting to me because I have been peripherally exposed to pathology for over 20 years through my father (a pathologist), and directly exposed through 2 years of working as a pathology research lab technician. Pathology and diagnostic imaging are both disciplines based on visual interpretation and pattern recognition. The role of diagnostic imaging in cancer detection is brought up again and again in our classes, but I think that the importance of pathology in cancer diagnosis and staging is not stressed enough. This class was a good step in that direction.
The new knowledge and skills I gained during this course were...
This class was a refresher on anatomy as well as an overview of tumor origins, histologies, spread patterns, treatments options, and prognoses. When radiation therapy was indicated for each tumor type and stage, standard field arrangements, fields border landmarks, and dose recommendations were listed. I also learned quite a bit more about CSI planning while researching treatment design for a large class project.
The new knowledge and skills will benefit me by...
Choosing an appropriate treatment technique for a patient is largely the domain of a physician, but this class will be extremely valuable for understanding why certain choices have been made. In cases where a physician seeks advice in choosing between more than one type of radiation plan, understanding the coverage and dosing goals will make me much more able to evaluate the options and report back to the physician.
I struggle with...
The sheer quantity of information is difficult to absorb in such a short period of time. I will most certainly need to review and refresh this material before board exams.
I feel pretty good about...
I have a good grasp on CSI planning concepts, but I have not actually planned one yet. I think I will have a head start as soon as I get my first case. I was also relieved to see that the dose constraints for organs at risk are consistent between the dozens of tumor types. Memorizing a dozen or so organ tolerances will get me through the majority of cases without having to consult reference materials.
Other reflective thoughts...
The histology section of each tumor type discussion was interesting to me because I have been peripherally exposed to pathology for over 20 years through my father (a pathologist), and directly exposed through 2 years of working as a pathology research lab technician. Pathology and diagnostic imaging are both disciplines based on visual interpretation and pattern recognition. The role of diagnostic imaging in cancer detection is brought up again and again in our classes, but I think that the importance of pathology in cancer diagnosis and staging is not stressed enough. This class was a good step in that direction.
Academic Courses > DOS 531
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Published July 12, 2015
Second Semester, 6 Months into Internship |