What should doctors know about cancer? Undergraduate medical education from a societal perspective

Cancer is a major health problem, but medical undergraduate education about cancer leaves many practitioners ill-prepared. All practitioners need some knowledge of cancer. Those practising in rural areas might need more knowledge because of their isolation from tertiary services. We review the need for cancer education from the perspective of patients and clinicians, and examine the cancer-knowledge skills and attitudes of medical undergraduates. Patients with cancer expect their family practitioner to be knowledgeable enough to act as their advocate and to be able to interpret for them the complex array of tests and treatments that they could face. Many oncologists think that they do not have adequate access to students because of entrenched attitudes within universities that aim to protect established teaching programmes and leave little room to adapt teaching to the changing needs of society. Surveys of medical undergraduates have shown that, over the past decade, students have less contact with patients and retain some misconceptions about cancer. To deliver appropriate standards of cancer teaching, an undergraduate programme should incorporate a national or international standard curriculum and a minimum number of essential experiences. Because assessment drives education, students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes relating to cancer should be assessed, and the outcomes of such assessment should inform the curriculum.