Utilizing a resident-led elective to improve the understanding of cancer prevention and survivorship among internal medicine residents.

Abstract

e21006 Background: Advances in cancer screening, early detection, and targeted therapies have increased the number of cancer survivors in the United States to 18.1 million as of 2022 1 , creating a patient population with complex medical, psychosocial, and financial needs. Despite this, formal training in cancer survivorship is often lacking in internal medicine residency programs. To address this unmet educational need, residents in the Brown University Internal Medicine Program developed the “Cancer Prevention & Survivorship Elective,” which formally launched in 2023. The elective is designed to enhance internal medicine residents’ understanding of cancer prevention and survivorship and is offered annually, with its fourth iteration underway as of January 2026. Methods: Between 2023 and 2025, 28 internal medicine residents completed the month-long elective. During the elective, residents participate in multiple didactics and rotate through clinics in disciplines such as onco-psychiatry, onco-fertility, palliative care, complementary medicine, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Participants completed anonymous pre- (n=25) and post-elective (n=16) surveys assessing confidence in cancer prevention and survivorship on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very unconfident, 5 = very confident). Pre- and post-elective responses were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test, with statistical significance defined as p < 0.05. Results: Median confidence in cancer prevention increased from 3 (neutral) pre-elective to 4 (confident) post-elective (one-tailed Mann-Whitney U = 30.5, p < 0.001). Similarly, median confidence in cancer survivorship rose from 3 to 4 (U = 18.5, p < 0.001), representing a statistically significant improvement in residents’ self-assessed competency in both domains. Additional descriptive data are summarized in the table below. Conclusions: An annual elective in cancer prevention and survivorship significantly improved internal medicine residents’ confidence in these domains. In the context of ongoing gaps in survivorship care, these findings support survivorship-focused education as a scalable approach to strengthening oncology training within internal medicine residency programs. Expansion to additional trainee groups and continued curricular refinement may further enhance oncology education in residency. References: American Cancer Society. Cancer Treatment & Survivorship Facts & Figures 2022-2024. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2022. Pre-Elective (n=25) Post-Elective (n=16) Domain Confidence Rating* (Mean ± SD) Confidence Rating* (Mean ± SD) Mean Difference (Post - Pre) Cancer Prevention 2.84 ± 0.69 4.25 ± 0.58 1.41 Cancer Survivorship 2.44 ± 0.77 4.19 ± 0.66 1.75 *1 = very unconfident, 2 = unconfident, 3 = neutral, 4 = confident, 5 = very confident.