About this Course

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Welcome to an Introduction to Breast Cancer!  In this course, we’ll learn a bit about the leading cause of cancer in women worldwide – from the basic biology of the disease, to risk factors and prevention, to treatment modalities to survivorship.  We’ll talk to leading experts, explore some of the milestone studies that have pushed this field forward, and have interactive discussions on discussion boards and social media.  You’ll even have an opportunity to let us know what topics you want to cover on tweetchats, so we can try to make the content fit your interests.  
There is something in this course for everyone – if you’re a breast cancer survivor or the friend/family member of someone with this disease, this course will help you to better understand this disease, and give you ideas for questions you may want to ask your doctor.  Maybe you’re a healthcare provider or studying to be the same, this course is a great refresher on where the state of the science is.  If you’re a healthcare administrator wondering about how the interdisciplinary components of breast cancer care fit together, or an entrepreneur thinking about unmet needs in this space, or someone in public health interested in prevention, this course is also for you!

Are you ready to learn a lot, and have some fun while we’re at it?  If so, I hope you’ll join us!  Let’s get started!!!

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Cancer
Surgery
Biomarkers
Breast Cancer

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.95/5 (248 Ratings)

Anees B. Chagpar, MD, MSc, MPH, MA, MBA, FRCS(C), FACS
Top Instructor

Professor of Surgery

Yale University School of Medicine

48,871 Learners

1 Course

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(6,309 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

23 minutes to complete

Welcome to the Course!

23 minutes to complete

2 videos (Total 3 min), 2 readings

Week2

Week 2

1 hour to complete

Risks and Prevention

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 58 min)

Week3

Week 3

1 hour to complete

Under the Microscope

What is cancer and how does it work? Want to learn the fundamentals of what breast cancer is? The different “types” – what is in situ vs. invasive? What is lobular vs. ductal? What is grade vs. stage? And what do molecular subtypes refer to? Well, tune in! Learn about the hallmarks of cancer – what are the processes that actually lead to this disease? Maybe this will give you some ideas about how we can stop cancers in their tracks!

1 hour to complete

2 videos (Total 34 min)

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Making the Diagnosis

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 65 min)

Week5

Week 5

2 hours to complete

All About Surgery

How do we actually remove breast cancer? Is a lumpectomy just as good as a mastectomy? Find out in this session. There are many different options for reconstructing a breast after a mastectomy – from tissue expanders and implants, to using your own tissue. In this talk, we’ll explore some of these options. Why do we take out lymph nodes, and how? What are the side effects? Learn more about this in this session! Do you have questions about lymphedema? How do you prevent it? Can/should you lift weights after a lymph node dissection? Should you wear a sleeve if you are going on a plane? What about shaving, hand surgery, and having an iv placed? We’ll answer all of these questions in this session.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 69 min)

Week6

Week 6

2 hours to complete

Beyond the Knife

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 109 min)

Week7

Week 7

5 hours to complete

Potpurri

Not all breast cancers are the same. Let’s learn a bit more about inflammatory breast cancer, Paget’s disease, Male breast cancer, breast cancer in pregnancy and metastatic disease. Let’s talk all about clinical trials – what they are, how they are monitored, and some of the trials that have really moved the field forward. So, you or your patients have gotten through diagnosis and active treatment, and you’re now in the survivorship period. Great! But this poses a whole new set of issues as people adjust to their “new normal”. Learn about what these issues are, and a bit about survivorship care plans as well.

5 hours to complete

12 videos (Total 167 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

12 videos

Special Presentations20mClinical Trials23mClinical Trials - TAILORx in the News7mSurvivorship4mInterview with Tara Sanft, Director of Adult Survivorship Clinic19mDiet and Exercise10mInterview with Maura Harrigan, Oncology Research Registered Dietitian10mInterview with Dr. Tara Sanft and Dr. Melinda Irwin, Yale Cancer Center14mOffice Hours 116mInterview with Lauren Baldassarre, Director of Cardio-Oncology at Yale15mBreast Cancer and COVID-1921mConclusion3m

2 readings

Post-Course Survey10mSend Us a Video10m

1 practice exercise

Module #6: Potpurri30m

Reviews

4.9

314 reviews

5 stars
91.93%
4 stars
7.37%
3 stars
0.34%
2 stars
0.17%
1 star
0.17%

TOP REVIEWS FROM INTRODUCTION TO BREAST CANCER

by VSSep 9, 2020

i am absolutely amazed at how well structured and well described this course was. i would like to extend a heartiest thanks to dr. Anees chagpar for the great teaching and better understanding.

by AAJun 6, 2017

Excellent review for patients and providers alike. Very enthusiastic speaker. Overall, very enjoyable lectures, review of literature, and guest speakers. Thank you.

by KTJul 15, 2017

Dr. Chagpar is fantastic . the way she presented the information made it enjoyable and easy to be understood. the course material is very valuable and cover most of the topics about Breast cancer.

by YYMay 30, 2022

I have learned about Staging of breast cancer; its prevention, different options of treatment and surgery very informative.

Thank you very much.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
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The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Introduction to Breast Cancer