Undergraduate teaching of oncology in Argentina

Cancer is a public health problem in Argentina, and the role of the country's physicians in the fight against this disease is very important. Whether they are general physicians or specialists, including clinical oncologists, they must have basic knowledge and permanent updating in oncology. Unfortunately, the teaching of oncology is deficient in this country, the deficiencies being already noticeable at the undergraduate level where the teaching is incomplete and dispersed. In order to ascertain the level of oncologic information which medical students about to graduate had acquired, 15-hour courses were organized in 1983 to 1984 for students of the Universities of Buenos Aires, La Plata, and Del Salvador. The participants had to fill in a questionnaire of 50 questions of increasing complexity before and after the course. The comparison of both inquiries clearly showed the usefulness of the course, particularly regarding cancer control, early diagnosis, treatment, and curability. The overall error decreased by 50% after the course. However, some erroneous ideas still existed and it became evident that certain of the subjects must be studied in greater depth.