The course will provide students with a broad understanding of the molecular basis of cancer, together with clinical aspects of cancer pathology and treatment. Sessions will include provision of fundamental information as well as discussion of current research addressing the cellular and molecular changes associated with cancer.

This option is assigned to block S2-B. There are normally 3 hours of contact on Tuesdays as arranged. 

None

The course will be assessed by a 2-hour examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%). The in-course assessment will comprise a poster based on published work (25%) and oral presentation of the poster (15%).

The aims of this course are to: 

■ provide students with a broad understanding of the molecular basis of cancer and metastasis, together with clinical aspects of cancer treatment; 

■ encourage the development of skills relating to analysis, discussion and interpretation of data. 

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

■ appraise the current state of scientific knowledge of the molecular basis of cancer; 

■ discuss the classification and nomenclature of human tumours; 

■ discuss various mechanisms leading to carcinogenesis; 

■ discuss cancer therapies, including tumour resistance to therapy and new targets for therapy; 

■ discuss immune processes as they relate to cancer and cancer therapy; 

■ interpret and analyse experimental data and research papers; 

■ apply forward thinking and experimental design to address scientific questions.