Project Title: Hallmarks of Cancer – Illustrative Panels

Project Sponsor: Dr Richard Oparka, Consultant Pathologist and Hon Senior Lecturer

TILT Medical Artist: Shereen Kadir

The goal for this project was to produce a series of illustrations depicting the common traits of cancer (hallmarks) in the form of an analogy of the ‘evolution’ of a simple caveman. The aim was to deliver the ‘big picture’ of the hallmarks of cancer, not the specific details or examples of genes or the signalling pathways involved. This project was particularly creative and the final illustrations would offer an engaging and memorable overview of the hallmarks of cancer for the medical students.

Illustration 1 – Sustained Growth Signalling (caveman starts to farm and produces an abundant amount of food)

Illustration 2 –  Loss of growth inhibition (kills all their predators and threats)

Illustration 3 – Unlimited replicative potential (reproduces successfully – has a lot of children)

Illustration 4 – Resisting apoptosis (increase in life expectancy – plague doctor treating an ill person)

Illustration 5 – Activating invasion and metastasis (invasion of a neighbouring village – show a battle scene)

Illustration 6 – Inducing angiogenesis (building of roads and infrastructure to establish trade routes)

Illustration 7 – Evasion of the immune system (evasion of the authorities)

Illustration 8 – Disordered repair mechanisms (anarchy – destruction of the controlling systems/authority)