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Biology of Cancer Class Metastasizes
Knowledge
Chris Barbey, Madeline Connley, Ben Davis, Rachel Hightower, Jon Reeck, Caleb
Sutherland, and Cheryl L. Jorcyk
►Class: Molecular Biology of Cancer
(Biol 541SL and Biol 441SL)
Interacting with Patients and Family
Members
►Instructor: Cheryl L. Jorcyk, Ph.D.
►Agency: Boise State University
►Project Purpose: To empower with knowledge
individuals in the Boise State Community who have
been affected by cancer.
►Learning goals: To expand each student’s
understanding of cancer and provide an interactive
experience involving cancer through volunteer
service.
►Community need addressed: To increase the
knowledge base of individuals affected by cancer.
Purpose and Methods of Service
Learning
Almost everyone has been affected by cancer, be it through the
diagnosis of a friend, family member, or an acquaintance. It is an
inescapable part of our society.
By sharing our knowledge with those close to the cancer battle, we not only
better the public understanding of cancer pathogenesis, we help take the
fear out of cancer.
Often cancer patients can report experiencing an insufficient
background explanation concerning their diagnosis.
Boise State students in the class of Molecular Biology of Cancer provide a
personalized cancer education for individuals in the community. Students
helped the community by teaching individuals of the public:
To better understand what cancer is and how it is caused
To better understanding their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a
loved one
To learn the specifics of how cancer is caused
By talking with individuals in the community who are close to cancer,
we helped to provide a confidence that can only come through knowledge.
A metastasizing cancer cell
Student Enrichment through
Service Learning:
Working with a cancer patient has greatly influenced my
education far beyond what classroom learning is capable of. I
have had the opportunity to reach out to a cancer patient in our
community with a very rare cancer, spindle cell
rhabdomyosarcoma. Little is known about this cancer, and
mystery can be very frustrating to an already frightened patient.
Helping this patient better understand her cancer has been a very
rewarding experience and made me feel like I was really making a
difference in her life. It has given me a completely new level of
enthusiasm and motivation to continue on a path to becoming a
health care provider.
Participating in service learning has enabled us to take the
knowledge we learn in the classroom and use it to help people in
our community who need it most. With countless hours spent
reading textbooks, attending lectures, and analyzing data, having
the opportunity to apply what we learn to real life situations adds
a very rewarding, sentimental edge to our learning. The time we
have spent aiding cancer patients and others affected by cancer in
our community is sure to make us better future grad students,
researchers, and doctors in the fight against cancer.
“I don’t make any time to research [cancer]
because life gets in the way, and you’ve taught
me so much I wouldn’t normally look up myself.”
--Amy Vecchione (Family member of 2 affected persons)
Cancer, in all its forms, is a leading cause of death and serious
disease. The pathology of cancer is very complicated. This
Cancer Education and the community
combined with the fast pace of research and clinical innovation
makes cancer biology a difficult topic, even for experts. As a
Cells from a spindle cell
consequence, patients who wish to gain a better understanding
rhabdomyosarcoma
patient
ervice
learning
provided
us
the
opportunity
to
reach
out
to
the
community.
It
was
our
privilege
of cancer biology may find themselves stuck somewhere
between the blog-a-sphere and technical journals.
to be invited to the Good Samaritan of Boise and talk with a great group of senior citizens. Cancer was
“The information that I received
not alien to them and each had a personal investment in further understanding the biology of cancer.
was tremendously valuable. It
Their experience with cancer ranged from living with cancer, preparing for treatment, to the loss of
Cancer is a disease of miscommunication and confusion at the
has been an awesome
family and friends. It was obvious that cancer prevention was in the front of their minds. Most of the
level of cellular signaling. In a sense, this theme of confusion
experience!”
questions addressed what type of foods they should be eating or how much exercise they should be
extends to the experience of the patient. The body is in
getting. Seeing the interests in prevention was encouraging. It showed that the community cares about
rebellion, perhaps refusing to cooperate with treatments. Not
their own health.
--Abby
Leach
(Spindle
only the patient, but friends and family members may not
I like to think that our interaction at the Good Samaritan provided insight to the group. One
Rhabdomyosarcoma
patient)
understand what is happening and how to deal with it. Learning gentleman was preparing for treatment for his recently diagnosed prostate cancer; we addressed
A molecular look at
some basic cell and cancer biology may help to address these
radiation therapy. A woman had a long background of breast cancer in her family; we presented current
cancer
concerns.
treatment options and biology behind cancer development. Another woman had lost her father after
allthingsbeautiful.com
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To meet this need, students from Boise State’s Molecular
Biology of Cancer course translated their classroom experience
into projects aimed at educating populations affected by
cancer.
what was thought to be a successful treatment; we explained why the cancer can return and the
difficulties in catching it early.
Most of us have someone close to us whom has experienced an emotional battle with cancer, but
not everyone understands what is going on in the body. By reaching to the community, I believe Service
Learning has helped others understand the biology of cancer occurring in the body.
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/igp/cancerFac.ht
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