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Cancer Warrior

Viewing Ideas

Before Watching

1. What exactly is cancer and how does it spread? Discuss with students their initial ideas about what cancer is and how it works. As they watch, have half the class take notes about what cancer is and how it grows and the other half keep track of the ways cancer is treated.

2. Review with students the concept of angiogenesis, which is the growth of new blood vessels (called capillaries) following the release of certain proteins (called angiogenic proteins) into the bloodstream. Once thought to occur solely during menstruation, wound healing, and during embryo development, angiogenesis is now known also to play a critical role in the growth and spread of cancerous tumors.

After Watching

1. Have students review their notes about what cancer is and how it is treated. Did their original conceptions change as they watched the program? If so, how? How does Endostatin work to fight cancer? What might this approach mean for cancer treatment?