Pediatric oncologists' assessment of oncology education in U.S. medical schools: Cancer Education Survey II.

The status of cancer education in U.S. medical schools was reassessed in the Cancer Education Survey II, which was initiated in 1989. One thousand and thirty-five cancer educators from 126 of the country's 128 medical schools participated, including 65 pediatric oncologists and 36 family physicians. All agreed that the most important aspects of cancer to teach medical students are early detection and cancer prevention; they considered less important electives in basic science, radiation therapy, and surgical oncology. The 101 pediatric oncologists and family physicians believed that more curriculum time should be devoted to cancer epidemiology, psychosocial aspects, and palliative care. Approximately one third of these 101 physicians also expressed the desire to have more teaching materials available in five general areas: patient education about pediatric cancer, nutrition, epidemiology, palliative care, and continuing care. Lay-language information about pediatric cancer, participation in clinical trials, and current cancer research is still needed.