Over 500,000 people in the United States and over 8 million people worldwide are dying every year from cancer. As people live longer, the incidence of cancer is rising worldwide and the disease is expected to strike over 20 million people annually by 2030. This open course is designed for people who would like to develop an understanding of cancer and how it is prevented, diagnosed, and treated.
Introduction to the Biology of Cancer
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Introduction to the Biology of Cancer
This course is part of Cancer Biology Specialization
Instructor: Kenneth J. Pienta, M.D.
206,869 already enrolled
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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8
(7,492 reviews)
Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
Approx. 8 hours
Learn at your own pace
97%
Most learners liked this course
Skills you'll gain
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Shareable certificate
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Assessments
7 assignments
Taught in English
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This course is part of the Cancer Biology Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 6 modules in this course
In this first week, we'll get a high-level introduction to the basics of cancer biology as well as incidence and common types of cancer.
What's included
5 videos4 readings1 assignment
Now, we'll turn our attention to the genetics of cancer, variation and mutation, two-hit hypothesis, and genomic instability.
What's included
4 videos1 assignment
All cancers share ten cellular hallmarks. This week, you'll learn to identify these hallmarks in order to distinguish a normal cell from a cancerous cell.
What's included
4 videos1 assignment
The lethal agent of cancer is metastasis. This week, we'll take a good look at this deadly event, TNM staging, the metastatic process, and an ecological paradigm.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment
This week, we'll examine imaging as a tool for diagnosis, staging, and treatment of cancer.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment
In this final week, we'll examine the variety of treatment options available to doctors and patients as well as the features of clinical trials and how they are used to improve the treatment arsenal.
What's included
9 videos1 reading2 assignments
Instructor
Instructor ratings
4.8 (1,613 ratings)Offered by
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Frequently asked questions
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
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When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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