Approaches to Cancer Research

This document was designed as an introduction to approaches used by scientists in the four scientific research divisions at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, a brief overview of questions addressed by the divisions, and an explanation of commonly used terminology.

Basic Sciences	Human Biology
Clinical Research	Public Health Sciences

Each of these divisions has its own methodology and approaches to the study of cancer yet our understanding of causes and treatments of cancer is advanced by the integration of findings among the divisions. It is therefore valuable for researchers in different disciplines to understand each other's vocabulary and approaches.

In 1997, three lectures were presented as part of an interdisciplinary seminar course on cancer research in which members of three of the divisions provided an overview of the questions and approaches by their division. The information from those lectures has been captured for this web presentation.

The three overview lectures presented here:

Basic Sciences and Human Biology

The Causes of Cancer: A Molecular Biologist's View
Steve Collins, M.D.

Clinical Research

Clinical Research Leading to New Cancer Treatments
Fred Appelbaum, M.D.

Public Health Sciences

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