UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: Although India has a long history of providing excellent allopathic medical education but the knowledge about oncology is scattered all over the curriculum losing focus, impact and usefulness. A course was needed to provide multidisciplinary cancer knowledge, which would be focussed at cancer care in general practice. The aim was to assess the feasibility of problem-based teaching of oncology and its effectiveness in medical education in Indian setting.

Methods:The WHO - Collaborating Centre for Cancer Education (WHO-CCCE) at University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG) in the Netherlands designed a course for Gandhi Medical College Bhopal, which stressed on problem based teaching of oncology. The idea of the course was to provide multidisciplinary cancer knowledge. It was aimed at cancer care in general practice, which it did by creating interaction between patient, students and teachers thus making the emphasis and focus of teaching, student and patient centered rather then teacher centered.

Results:The undergraduate medical students gave a positive response to this method of teaching, which according to them made various cancers not just a topic to be studied for examination but a problem for the community. A perceptible positive change was found to be in their knowledge and attitude towards cancer as a manageable and treatable entity. This also showed that providing cancer education in a problem-based manner (till now used in western countries only) is possible in a non-western country once it is adjusted to local needs.