The teaching of cancer medicine by educational objectives

In this paper, the authors review the findings of a survey of cancer education activities in 110 U.S. medical schools conducted by the American Association for Cancer Education. Problems documented through this survey include the need for more coordination of multidisciplinary teaching; more exposure of students to patients with common malignancies, especially in an outpatient setting; and more uniform instruction in fundamental diagnostic procedures, such as proctosigmoidoscopy, bone marrow aspiration/biopsy, and indirect laryngoscopy. The present authors review these problems, particularly as they relate to educational functions of departments of medicine, and discuss an approach to the teaching of cancer medicine that employs the definition of educational objectives and relates these objectives to departmental teaching responsibilities. The authors suggest that the departments of medicine are in a unique position to stimulate and coordinate clinical cancer education by this approach.