Assignment

TOPIC: Liver Cancer, Heptocellular carcinoma

SUMMARY OUTLINE:

Create an outline to organize the information required in the final paper. This can be a bulleted list, or outline form as I have below. Short statements and/or lists are appropriate, save the formal writing for the final paper. Include the following information in your outline:

1. Name all of the types of cancer that can arise in the organ or organ system you chose.

a. Choose ONE of those types of cancer that you will research for the remainder of the paper, and mark that choice very clearly.
b. Clinical names of tumors should be used, do not simply state how many there are.

2. How common is the cancer you chose in 1a?

a. Include any additional statistics on the risk factors associated with that cancer.
b. Risk factors can include sex, age, ethnicity, geographic location, chemical or other exposures, genetics, etc.

3. How deadly is the cancer you chose in 1a (i.e. what is the "mortality" rate)?

a. This can be expressed as a percentage of survival over 5 years (see "five-year survival rate" in chapter 1 of the textbook, starting on page 9).

b. Also include facts on the "morbidity" associated with this cancer. This means, how does this type of cancer affect a patient who is living with it. For example, a spinal tumor may cause paralysis. In that case, the morbidity includes paralysis.

4. Are there any genes known to cause the cancer you chose in 1a?

a. If so, are they tumor suppressors or oncogenes?
b. If not, are there any "candidate" genes (genes that are predicted to cause it)?

5. What are the available treatment options for the cancer you chose in 1a? How effective are they at reducing either morbidity or mortality?

PAPER:

1. Formatting:

a. Minimum of 4 pages, maximum of 6 pages NOT including name, title, date, etc. You must actually write 4-6 pages of text.
b. Page count also does NOT include references, figures, or any cover pages.
c. Margins should be 1" on all sides
d. Calibri font, 11pt
e. Double-spaced

**Deviations from this format will result in lost points**

2. Guidelines for writing:

a. Elaborate on each of the 5 major points of information outlined in the Summary Outline portion of these guidelines. This includes defining terms that are new/unfamiliar to you.

b. Ensure that proper use of grammar and sentence structure is used prior to submitting the assignment. In other words, proof read your paper! Be aware that help is available to you at Hood for this (see section (i) below)

c. While short statements and lists are acceptable in the summary outline, they are NOT acceptable in the final paper.

i. When discussing the different types of cancers that can arise in your organ, you must also provide a brief description of each type of tumor to indicate how they are all different despite being found in the same organ/organ system.

ii. You only need to do further research (numbers 2-5 of the Summary Outline) on ONE of the types of cancer that you describe for your organ/organ system.

1. You should consider choosing a tumor type that has the most information available to make it easier on yourself.

2. DO NOT attempt to research all of the different cancers for this paper - just choose one.

d. Figures and tables are welcomed if they are relevant, but not required. Any figure or table that is included must be appropriately referenced and it must be described in the text of the paper. DO NOT simply insert a figure/table without any context.

e. You must reference all information that you gather. Each reference should be numbered. To reference information, add the appropriate reference number in parentheses just prior to the period of the sentence in which the information is stated. Example: "Approximately ten thousand people in the U.S. have this type of cancer (1)."

f. You must provide a separate "References" section at the end of the paper where you list the full reference information. This must be done using the Counsel of Science Editors (CSE) format.

i. You must include a minimum of 4 different references. This means that all your references should not be from the same place (e.g. all from various WebMD pages). There is a lot of information out there, best not to limit yourself!

ii. There is no maximum number of references, but about 10 is sufficient.

g. Acceptable references are: websites such as those associated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other government agencies; websites from clinics such as the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, as well as other cancer centers and hospitals; WebMD and Scientific American.