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Johns Hopkins Intersession Course
The Biology of Cancer Metastasis
Course Number: AS.020.246.13
Credits: 1
January 9-27, 2017
Class hours: MWF 1-2:45 PM (Except January 23)
Instructor: Kenneth C. Valkenburg, Ph.D.
Instructor email: [email protected]
Description
The Biology of Cancer Metastasis is a course that covers the basic biological tenets and
theories of how cancer forms and advances and how cancer spreads – or metastasizes –
throughout the body and causes the demise of cancer patients. In particular, we will cover the
steps of metastasis, the routes of cancer spread, the homing of cancer cells to specific
secondary sites in the body, and various treatment strategies for metastatic cancer.
Objectives
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Understand the basic concept of normal cells turning into cancerous cells.
2. Understand the Hallmarks of Cancer.
3. Describe the steps of cancer metastasis.
4. Apply information gained in this course to understand the basics of any individual cancer
type.
5. Describe cancer cell homing.
6. Differentiate between dissemination and metastasis.
7. Understand how cancer is diagnosed, staged, and treated.
8. Describe some of the hottest current topics in cancer research.
Grading
This course is scored on a pass/fail scale. Students will receive a passing grade if they attend
every class listed in the outline below and satisfactorily complete the three (3) assignments.
Students will receive a failing grade if they do not attend every class listed in the outline below
or if they do not complete all three (3) assignments. Please contact the instructor in the case of
an emergency or special circumstances.
Outline
 Class 1: Monday, January 9th
Basic concepts of cellular and molecular biology that are pertinent to the understanding
of cancer biology and metastasis.

Class 2: Wednesday, January 11th
Hallmarks of Cancer, 1-5:
1. Sustaining proliferative signaling
2. Evading growth suppressors
3. Enabling replicative immortality
4. Resisting cell death
5. Genome instability and mutation (add epigenetics)
Introduce Assignment 1: Hallmarks and Pathways (due January 16th)

Class 3: Friday, January 13th
Hallmarks of Cancer 6-10:
6. Deregulating cellular energetics
7. Inducing angiogenesis
8. Activating invasion and metastasis
9. Tumor-promoting inflammation
10. Avoiding immune destruction

Class 4: Monday, January 16th
Follow a single cell from its “birth” in a primary tumor to its growth into a secondary
tumor to causing the death of the person in which it is growing.
Today: primary tumor to circulation
a. Primary tumor growth
b. Neoangiogenesis
c. EMT
d. Invasion
e. Intravasation
Assignment 1 DUE today!
Introduce Assignment 2: Pick a Cancer (due January 20th)

Class 5: Wednesday, January 18th
Circulation to metastatic lesion and death
f. Survival in circulation
g. Extravasation
h. Dormancy
i. Secondary tumor growth
a. Cancer types and metastatic homing
j. Death

Class 6: Friday, January 20th
Cancer diagnosis and staging
Assignment 2 DUE today!
Introduce Assignment 3: Essay or Presentation (presentations on January 25th and 27th;
essays due January 27th)

Class 7: Wednesday, January 25th
o Cancer therapy
o Drug discovery
o Clinical trials
Assignment 3 presentations (day 1)

Class 8: Friday, January 27th
Hot topics and big questions in cancer research
Assignment 3 presentations (day 2)
Final day to turn in Assignment 3 essays!