University Calendar
Cancer chemotherapy through the eyes and veins of a chemist
Now 35 years cancer free, Dr. Mark Whitener, Associate Professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department, will discuss his experience of cancer and chemotherapy. Throughout his treatment, and being unable to continue his typical research, Dr. Whitener took great interest in learning all he could about cancer and chemotherapy.
About Dr. Whitener and his Presentation
As I was finishing what was to be my last year of graduate school, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The tumor was removed, and my doctors recommended cancer chemotherapy to remove any residual cancer cells. I could not work in the lab in this time, so I planned to read about cancer and chemotherapy. I'm a chemist, so I expected to master the theory of “chemo”-therapy quickly. I quickly learned that I lacked much of the biological and medical background to understand the theory of this treatment modality. I immersed myself in the study of cancer, cell biology, and both the chemical and medical aspects of chemotherapy. I learned a great deal, and found the topic interesting.
I shared what I learned with my research group, focusing on detailed chemical mechanisms for this first iteration. Over time, I realized the topic could interest a wider audience. This led to an evolution of the presentation into a more general description of cancer and chemotherapy.
The seminar is divided into three parts,
- An introduction of the general theory of how cancer cells grow and spread. This requires a short description of the cell cycle. I briefly compare the three main methods of cancer treatment: surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
- Detailing the principles of cancer chemotherapy including the general theory, the importance of DNA, and the mechanism of action of the different classes of anticancer agents.
- I present myself as a case study to show how the methods of cancer treatment were applied in the staging, and treatment of my lymphoma with CHOP chemotherapy. In addition to the biochemistry of cancer treatment, I explore some of the mental and emotional aspects of the chemotherapy experience.