This Backgrounder provides an overview of the biology, development, classification, diagnosis, and staging of cancer as well as evaluating response to cancer therapy. It is the first step of a program designed to give you a broad understanding of cancer therapy and the terminology used by oncologists as well as to provide a better understanding of the concerns of healthcare providers in treating patients with cancer.

Objectives

Upon completion of this backgrounder, you will be able to:

• Name the four phases of the cell cycle and the functions that take place in each phase
• Discuss the factors that regulate cell growth and death
• Describe the process of malignant transformation
• Discuss the factors involved in carcinogenesis
• Describe the processes of invasion and metastasis of cancer
• Describe the four different cellular types of cancer and their origins
• Discuss the diagnostic procedures used in detecting and evaluating cancer
• Describe the staging systems used to grade the severity and extent of cancer
• Explain methods and terminology used to evaluate response to chemotherapy