improving doctor-patient communication

It is of obvious importance for health-care providers to communicate well with patients and their family members. The ONCOTALK faculty at the University of Washington offer a series of teaching modules that are designed to help doctors do just that. Downloadable videos available.

Effectively conveying bad news to patients is particularly important in practicing cancer medicine. In the above video, faculty at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine teach residents how to do this through role playing exercises. The late Robert Buckman, MD, PhD, was instrumental in developing instruction about bad news delivery (see his SPIKE video), as well as about communication sensitivity in general (see a collection of Buckman videos on MD Anderson's Clinical Communication Skills page).

Confronting Colon Cancer documentary

This informative documentary produced by PBS-affiliate WVIZ explores in step-by-step detail causes, symptoms, and surgical treatment of colorectal cancer. Uses case studies of patients to examine colonoscopy preparation and procedure, laparoscopic resection, and pathological findings. Chemotherapy is not addressed. Provides interviews with practitioners, patients, and family members. WVIZ website includes related coverage of colon cancer issues. Highly recommended for beginning students and patient education.

anticolonoscopy pop culture and "science"

The ultimate anticolonoscopy statement is the 2007 feature film, Sublime.  The protagonist's procedure goes awry and leaves him in a prolonged, excruciatingly terror-filled coma mercifully ended by death. 

Advisory: do not recommend to anyone in need of a colonoscopy. Practitioners should view in order to deal with possible patient fears generated by it. 

Although considered the "gold standard" for colon cancer screening, opposition comes in part from pseudoscience elements who claim it not only ineffective, but unsafe. In his Death by Colonoscopy video series, Konstantin Monastyrsky, self-proclaimed expert in the field of "forensic nutrition," selects bits and pieces from various studies and commonly misinterprets findings to support his anticolonoscopy bias (see, e.g, the segment in the bottom video from 1:25 to 2:15). Recommended to use as object of critique for beginning students. 

The New York Times cancer-related multimedia

The New York Times clearly stands out among news media in its multimedia coverage of cancer. In the above video, cancer effects are demonstrated to extend beyond the patient to other family members in many ways. The clip is from the series, Life Interrupted: A Video Portrait of Cancer in Young Adulthood, created by Suleika Jaouad, a 23 year-old writer now chronicling her experiences with leukemia.

Relevant multimedia may be located and accessed through search by media type (see "cancer videos" playlists). Searching by cancer type provides lists of articles, videos, and graphics (click here for colon cancer media).

The online paper allows for 10 free visits per month.

online news video

It is good that instructors and practitioners keep abreast of news stories on cancer-related matters. In this recent ABC report, breaking news is provided about MD Anderson research findings on the therapeutic effects of Metformin (glucophage) in treating various cancers. Such stories can be forwarded to inform relevant target populations of developments. But they are also at times quite incomplete in important details or seriously flawed, and therefore can be used as objects for critique.



One of the best sources of news stories in the sense of giving more than a sound-bite approach is the PBS NewsHour (see playlist search of stories involving cancer). In the above clip, Ray Suarez recently talked to Dr. Andrew Chan about research findings suggesting that a daily dose of aspirin can be an effective prophylactic against various cancers.

big decisions re cancer

Cancer is a life-changing, as well as an oft life-ending, condition. Videos can be used effectively from both clinical and popular media angles to enhance the introduction of health-care students with such matters. In the bottom clip, David S. Ettinger, MD addresses the importance of making end-of-life decisions upfront, while in the top clip, Breaking Bad protagonist, methamphetamine manufacturer, and lung-cancer patient, Walter White, seizes the moment to voice his preferences about how he wants to go out (view series creator Vince Gilligan's comments here about the emotions evoked on the set while shooting this scene).     

Clinical Care Options: Oncology

Clinical Care Options: Oncology provides a massive collection of free workshops and tutorials on screening, testing, and treatment across various cancers (registration required). Includes, as well, a case challenges component which entails interactive instruction about patient management (see sample case study here). Free downloadable PowerPoint slides are available for many topics, including numerous presentations on colorectal cancer. CME credit provided for some modules.  

a critique of cancer and positive thinking

Barbara Ehrenreich does not agree with the conventional wisdom holding that cancer patients must think positively about their condition. For a fuller treatment of her critique, watch this video. Barbara's detailed ideas originally appeared in a 2001 article she wrote for Harper's, Welcome to Cancerland.

what is cancer?

This tutorial, provided through Cancer Research UK, introduces the topic "What is cancer?" in clear, concise terms. It includes various user-driven slideshows and graphics, and serves as a solid introduction for students beginning to study cancer, as well as patients.

Inside Cancer: Multimedia Guide to Cancer Biology

Inside Cancer, a component of the DNA Learning Center, is an excellent introductory resource on the biology of cancer. Interactive tutorials, comprised of animated graphics with text or voice-over, cover cancer hallmarks, causes and prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and pathways. Some include videos and interactive quizzes, as well. The site also provides a password-protected Teacher Center which provides additional resources and software to build multimedia lessons. 

cartoon animations via xtranormal

Animated cartoons can be generated fairly easily through cloud software applications. In the top video, the creator employs xtranormal to discuss the importance of colonoscopy for cancer screening. In the bottom video, I provide an animated version of the dialog I had with my surgeon before my colon cancer resection.  Cartoons can promote cancer education in general, as well as serving to facilitate patient voice.

on colon cancer: Sal Khan interviews Andy Connolly

Andy Connolly of Stanford Medical School walks the viewer through the process of colon cancer development with the assistance of Sal Khan, creator of the Khan Academy.  Video 1 overviews normal colon tissue, video 2 relates to dysplasia, video 3 focuses on hyperplasia, and video 4, shown above, addresses cancerous colon tissue.  Along the way, Khan's questions to Connolly serve to clarify terminology and muddy points for students and the lay public.

DNA animations

In this TED Talks segment, Drew Berry shows his fantastic animation of DNA replication (see full clip here). Berry works at Australia's Walter & Ezra Hall Institute, and some of his other animations, including breast cancer origins and colony stimulating factor, can be seen at http://www.wehi.edu.au/education/wehitv. (Also go to Harvard's BioVisions site to view Inner Life of Cell series.)

cancer statistics via Gapminder

Hans Rosling looks at colon cancer statistics in this video through his Gapminder data visualization application.  Hans shows that rates increase with growing affluence over historical time, and speculates that the culprit is western-style diets.  Nonetheless, his data also indicate that rich societies are better able to treat the disease once discovered as deaths due to colon cancer are lower there than in less affluent nations.  A free API that can be either used in the cloud or downloaded, Gapminder comes with a number of data sets that permit analyses of many health-related variables, including various cancers.