Advances in Cancer Care

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Critically examine approaches to the optimisation of health and wellbeing within the continuum of cancer care.
• Critically analyse the impact of new technologies and/or national directives or policies for people affected by cancer.
• Critically appraise the current role of systemic, radiological and surgical treatments.
• Critically examine the evidence base that underpins future developments in the diagnosis and/or treatment of cancer showing comprehensive understanding of their impact on practice.
• Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical understanding of the biological basis of cancer, including the role of personalised cancer therapies.

The module will be based around 4 themes.

Biology, for example:

• Cell biology, Carcinogenesis, Genomics, Immunology

Screening and detection of cancer, for example:

• Innovations in Cancer Screening and the impact of living with cancer risk
• Role and Impact of AI in Cancer Diagnostics
• Changing referral pathways – impact on services, outcomes and patient experience
• National Directives for cancer e.g., Rapid Investigation Service; Community Diagnostic Hubs
• Genetic testing for cancer

Advances in management of cancer, for example:

• The future of surgery
• Radiotherapy – stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR), Proton beam
• Systemic therapy – Chemotherapy, Endocrine, Targeted therapies & immunotherapy
• Professional & legal aspects and national guidelines
• Side effects from novel treatments – evidence base and future services
• Research and clinical trials
• Treatment decision making

Optimisation of health and wellbeing across a continuum of care, for example:

• Impact of social determinants of health and health inequalities
• Impact of digital and AI innovations for patient population
• Optimisation of health for treatment
• Supportive therapies and interventions
• Changing patient follow up pathways, supported self-management
• Perception of risk – ethical considerations for treatments and interventions
• Living with and beyond cancer – long term and late effects
• Frailty
• Disease progression

Teaching and learning methods include lectures and workshops, which incorporate discussion debate, and group work. As part of the independent study there is an element of required reading that will underpin your development of knowledge and understanding.

We use a range of teaching and learning methods and recognise that students have different preferred learning styles including.

• Lectures
• Group discussion
• Self-directed learning (including books, journals, audio-visual resources etc.)
• E-learning (including use of Blackboard and other on-line resources.)

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Assessment

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Written Feedback
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.