Oncology Course

Lesson 1 • Oncogenes, Mutations, and Genomic Instability

Details driver mutations, chromosomal instability, and DNA repair defects that fuel cancer progression. Links molecular alterations to targeted therapy opportunities.

Lesson 2 • Tumour Microenvironment and Angiogenesis

Describes stromal cells, immune infiltrates, and vascular networks that support tumour growth. Establishes the biological basis for immunotherapy and anti-angiogenic strategies.

Lesson 3 • Invasion, Metastasis, and Disease Staging

Covers the metastatic cascade from local invasion to distant colonisation and introduces staging frameworks. Prepares students to interpret staging data in clinical decision-making.

Lesson 4 • Cancer Epidemiology and Global Burden

Covers incidence, prevalence, mortality trends, and risk factor distribution worldwide. Provides the population-level context needed to prioritise clinical and research efforts.

Lesson 1 • Clinical Presentation and Symptom Recognition

Identifies common and atypical cancer presentations across organ systems. Enables early recognition of red-flag symptoms that prompt diagnostic workup.

Lesson 2 • Biopsy Techniques and Tissue Acquisition

Covers core needle, excisional, and liquid biopsy methods with indications and limitations. Ensures students select the appropriate technique to yield diagnostic tissue safely.

Lesson 3 • Histopathology and Tumour Classification

Teaches histological grading, morphological classification, and WHO tumour taxonomy. Provides the vocabulary needed to interpret pathology reports accurately.

Lesson 4 • Molecular and Biomarker Diagnostics

Introduces genomic profiling, companion diagnostics, and tumour biomarker interpretation. Links molecular findings to treatment eligibility and prognosis.

Lesson 1 • Oncological Surgical Principles and Margins

Covers margin assessment, en-bloc resection, and lymph node dissection standards. Ensures students understand how surgical technique directly affects local recurrence risk.

Lesson 2 • Perioperative Management in Oncology Patients

Covers preoperative optimisation, anaesthesia considerations, and postoperative complication management specific to cancer patients. Prepares students to anticipate surgery-related risks in this population.

Lesson 3 • Goals and Indications for Cancer Surgery

Defines curative, cytoreductive, palliative, and prophylactic surgical intents. Frames surgical decision-making within the broader oncology treatment continuum.

Lesson 4 • Reconstructive and Functional Restoration Surgery

Addresses flap reconstruction, prosthetics, and functional restoration after ablative cancer surgery. Connects reconstructive planning to quality-of-life outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Radiobiology and Mechanisms of Cell Kill

Explains DNA damage, repair kinetics, and the four Rs of radiobiology underlying treatment fractionation. Provides the scientific rationale for dose and schedule decisions.

Lesson 2 • Brachytherapy and Intraoperative Radiation

Describes intracavitary, interstitial, and intraoperative radiation techniques and their clinical indications. Highlights dose distribution advantages over external beam in select tumour sites.

Lesson 3 • Radiation Toxicity and Long-Term Effects

Identifies acute and late radiation toxicities by organ system and evidence-based mitigation strategies. Prepares students to counsel patients and manage treatment-related side effects.

Lesson 4 • Radiation Treatment Planning and Delivery

Covers simulation, target volume delineation, dose-volume constraints, and plan optimisation. Connects planning concepts to safe and effective dose delivery.

Lesson 1 • Chemotherapy Administration and Dose Calculation

Covers body surface area dosing, renal and hepatic dose adjustments, and safe drug handling protocols. Ensures accurate and safe systemic therapy delivery in clinical practice.

Lesson 2 • Chemotherapy Pharmacology and Drug Classes

Covers mechanisms of action, cell-cycle specificity, and resistance mechanisms for major chemotherapy classes. Provides the pharmacological foundation for rational drug selection.

Lesson 3 • Hormonal and Endocrine Therapies

Addresses androgen deprivation, anti-oestrogen strategies, and aromatase inhibition in hormone-sensitive cancers. Connects endocrine manipulation to tumour growth suppression.

Lesson 4 • Targeted Therapy and Precision Oncology

Explains kinase inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and antibody-drug conjugates matched to molecular targets. Links biomarker-driven patient selection to improved therapeutic outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Clinical Practice

Covers PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 inhibitors, their approved indications, and response predictors. Connects checkpoint blockade mechanisms to clinical response and resistance patterns.

Lesson 2 • Cancer Vaccines and Oncolytic Virotherapy

Reviews therapeutic cancer vaccines, neoantigen-based approaches, and oncolytic virus mechanisms. Positions these modalities within the broader immunotherapy landscape.

Lesson 3 • Cancer Immunology and Immune Evasion

Explains tumour immunosurveillance, antigen presentation, and mechanisms by which tumours escape immune destruction. Establishes the biological rationale for immunotherapeutic interventions.

Lesson 4 • Immune-Related Adverse Events Management

Identifies organ-specific immune-related adverse events, grading scales, and corticosteroid-based management algorithms. Prepares students to recognise and treat immunotherapy toxicities promptly.

Lesson 1 • Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Therapy Strategies

Compares neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment sequencing rationales across major cancer types. Connects timing of systemic therapy to surgical and radiation outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Multidisciplinary Tumour Board Structure and Function

Describes tumour board composition, case presentation formats, and evidence-based consensus decision-making. Demonstrates how multidisciplinary review improves treatment plan quality.

Lesson 3 • Response Assessment and Treatment Adaptation

Covers RECIST criteria, molecular response markers, and decision frameworks for continuing, modifying, or stopping treatment. Enables dynamic treatment adaptation based on response data.

Lesson 4 • Survivorship Planning and Long-Term Follow-Up

Addresses surveillance schedules, late effects monitoring, and survivorship care plan development. Prepares students to transition patients from active treatment to long-term cancer survivorship.

Lesson 1 • Goals-of-Care Communication and Advance Directives

Teaches structured communication frameworks for prognosis disclosure, treatment preference elicitation, and advance care planning. Builds skills for navigating difficult conversations with patients and families.

Lesson 2 • Ethical Principles in Oncology Decision-Making

Applies autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice to oncology-specific ethical dilemmas. Prepares students to reason through resource allocation, futility, and consent challenges.

Lesson 3 • Palliative Care Principles in Oncology

Defines palliative care philosophy, early integration evidence, and symptom burden assessment tools. Establishes palliative care as a concurrent, not terminal-phase-only, oncology discipline.

Lesson 4 • Pain and Symptom Management in Cancer

Covers the WHO analgesic ladder, opioid titration, and management of dyspnoea, fatigue, and cachexia. Equips students to provide comprehensive symptom control across the disease trajectory.