Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions)
Unit 3: Unit 3.2 to 3.4 Treating CancerMI 3.2-3.4Biotechnology Research and Experiments

Recommend A Treatment Plan

Use evidence to recommend a treatment plan in a biomedical case.

Builds on (2 levels back)inferred · high confidence
  • Read a data table: Students need to find values, labels, and units before calculating or graphing.
  • Fair-test logic: Variables and controls make comparisons meaningful.

Prerequisites are inferred: pending teacher review.

Re-learn the skill with worked practice and clear examples.

Recommend the plan that matches the case facts. Stage II in one area can be removed by surgery; a negative marker rules out a targeted drug.

Step 1: Read the case table
The table lists the stage, the marker test result, and the patient's health.
Step 2: Match treatment to facts
Stage II in one area (no distant spread) can be treated locally with surgery. A negative marker test means a targeted drug is off the table.
Step 3: State the plan
Recommend surgery to remove the local tumor; do not recommend the targeted drug because the marker is negative.
Practice

Use the case facts. The cancer is Stage II in one area (M0) and the marker test is NEGATIVE. Which plan best fits?

Approved
Case factWhat it tells you
StageStage II: tumor is in one area, no distant spread (M0)
Marker testNegative: the cancer does NOT carry the marker a targeted drug needs
Patient healthHealthy enough for surgery
Case facts for a treatment-plan decision. Stage is II, meaning the tumor is in one area and has not spread to distant organs. The marker test is negative, so the cancer does not carry the marker a targeted drug needs. The patient is healthy enough for surgery.
  1. A.Give the targeted drug, since targeted drugs are newest
  2. B.Surgery to remove the local tumor; the targeted drug is ruled out because the marker is negative
  3. C.Do nothing, because Stage II is harmless
  4. D.Use every treatment at once to be safe
Show the worked solution ▾

Answer: B. Surgery to remove the local tumor; the targeted drug is ruled out because the marker is negative

  1. Step 1: Use the stage: Stage II is in one area with no distant spread, so a local treatment like surgery can remove it.
  2. Step 2: Use the marker: The marker test is negative, so the targeted drug has nothing to lock onto and is ruled out.

Why it's right: Surgery fits a local Stage II tumor, and the negative marker correctly rules out the targeted drug.

Why the others miss:
  • A: Being newest does not matter; the negative marker means the targeted drug won't work.
  • C: Stage II cancer is serious and needs treatment.
  • D: Throwing every treatment at it adds harm without matching the facts.

Aligned to BRE: recommend a treatment plan · reading level ~grade 9

Where you'd see this
  • In Unit 3.2 to 3.4 Treating Cancer, this skill turns class evidence into a result another person can check.
Video library
Watch: Recommend A Treatment Plan
Why is it so hard to cure cancer? - Kyuson Yun
TED-Ed · 5 min
Guided notes

Fill these in as you work through the lesson.

Big idea: To recommend a plan, you match the treatment to the facts of the case (stage and marker status): and you do not claim a cure the evidence does not support.
Key terms: write the meaning
  • Treatment plan (the recommended set of treatments):  
  • Stage (how far the cancer has spread (I to IV)):  
  • Marker status (whether the cancer carries the marker a targeted drug needs):  
  • Overclaim (promising more than the evidence supports):  
  • Local vs. systemic (one-spot vs. whole-body treatment):  
The rule

A good plan matches the treatment to the cancer's   and   status. If the marker test is  , a targeted drug will not work. Promising a guaranteed cure is an  .

Check yourself
  1. What two case facts most shape a treatment plan? 
  2. Why can't you recommend a targeted drug when the marker test is negative? 
  3. What makes a recommendation an overclaim? 
Work one example

A patient has Stage II cancer in one area (no spread) and a negative marker test. Recommend a plan using the facts, and explain why you would NOT promise a guaranteed cure.