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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251209T133000
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DTSTAMP:20260407T181653
CREATED:20250918T091424Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251201T113151Z
UID:10000124-1765287000-1765902600@skillsacademy.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk
SUMMARY:Introduction to the Science of Systemic Cancer Treatments and Cancer Biomarkers
DESCRIPTION:Delivered over two afternoon sessions\, Dr Elaine Vickers – a leading independent educator on the science of new cancer treatments – will introduce learners to the main groups of systemic cancer treatments and describe how they work. She will then explain how biomarker tests can be used to select the right treatment for each patient. \nFirst session: Elaine provides an overview of the mechanisms of action of chemotherapy\, hormone therapy\, targeted therapy\, and immunotherapy. She describes why we use antibodies and kinase inhibitors to treat cancer and explains why so many of these treatments target cell communication. \nShe also briefly describes antibody-drug conjugates and provides an overview of immunotherapies for solid tumours and haematological cancers. \nSecond session:  Elaine introduces biomarkers by describing what they are\, where they are found\, and how they can be used. She then provides examples of the biomarkers currently used to select treatments for patients\, focusing on their applications in lung cancer\, breast cancer\, and melanoma skin cancer. \nNext up\, Elaine looks at what the future might hold for precision medicine in bowel and pancreatic cancer. In the final section. She will explore the possibility of using cancer DNA isolated from the blood as a method for detecting cancers before they cause symptoms. \nAudience \nThis course is ideal for clinical staff who may be new to caring for cancer patients including staff nurses\, pharmacists and clinical trials coordinators\, and is also suitable for anyone involved in cancer research and trials. \nElaine’s goal is to explain the science in an interesting and accessible way\, providing learners with a broad understanding that they can build on in the future. She will use colourful illustrations and jargon-free explanations to help learners gain a broad understanding of the concepts covered. \nACCEND\nNHS England’s ACCEND Programme aims to support the development of a skilled and knowledgeable cancer workforce. \nThis course supports Component 3 of the ACCEND pathway\, the Education Framework. \nSpecifically\, this course’s objectives and learning outcomes meet core cancer knowledge needs at both the ‘Foundation of Cancer Care’ and ‘Fundamentals of Cancer Care’ levels. \nThe course will enhance learners’ understanding of cancer biology\, the mechanism of action of systemic cancer treatments\, and the use of biomarkers to select the best treatments for each patient. \nThe knowledge gained through this course will empower staff to feel confident when communicating with patients and their families\, and with clinical and non-clinical colleagues. \nDetailed description \nSession One: Tuesday 9th December 2025 – 1:30 – 4:30pm\nPresentation 1 – Cancer biology\, chemotherapy and hormone therapies \n\nCells\, DNA\, genes and proteins\nDNA damage as the cause of cancer\nWhat is chemotherapy how does it work?\nWhy so many different drugs\, and why are they often given in combinations?\nHow does hormone therapy work?\nHormone therapy for breast cancer and prostate cancer\n\nPresentation 2 – Targeted therapies \n\nWhat does the term ‘targeted therapy’ actually mean?\nWhat do these drugs target?\nIntroducing monoclonal antibodies\, kinase inhibitors & other small molecules\nWho are they given to\, and why aren’t they given to everyone?\nWhy don’t they always work\, and why do people’s cancers come back?\n\nPresentation 3 – Immunotherapy \n\n What is immunotherapy?\nHow can our immune system destroy cancer cells?\nHow do immunotherapies work\, and why don’t they work for everyone?\nAre immunotherapies for solid tumours and blood cancers the same?\n\nSession Two: Tuesday 16th December 2025 – 1:30 – 4:30pm\nPresentation 4 – Introduction to biomarkers \n\nWhat does the term ‘biomarker’ mean\, and what are they used for?\nWhere do we find them? (e.g. biopsies\, aspirates\, blood samples)\nWhat testing methods and measurements do we use? (e.g. genetic testing\, immunohistochemistry\, whole genome sequencing\, commercial platforms)\n\nPresentation 5 – Precision cancer medicine – where are we now? \n\nPrecision medicine for non-small cell lung cancer: PD-L1\, EGFR\, ALK\, ROS1\, RET\, MET\, other mutations\nPrecision medicine for breast cancer: testing for hormone receptors\, HER2 amplification\, PIK3CA/ATK/PTEN & ESR1 mutations\nPrecision medicine for melanoma skin cancer: testing for BRAF mutations\n\nPresentation 6 – Precision cancer medicine – where are we heading? \n\nAdvances in precision medicine for bowel cancer\nWhat’s the future of precision medicine for pancreatic cancer?\nCan we diagnose cancer earlier using blood samples?\n\nPre-course preparation\nElaine has created two YouTube playlists about cancer biology and cancer treatments to help learners get the most out of her courses. Each playlist contains 10 videos of between 3 and 8 minutes. \nElaine has also given this advice: “If you’re short on time and you’re not sure about the relationship between DNA\, genes and proteins\, I would suggest watching the Cells\, DNA\, genes and chromosomes and From genes to proteins videos from the Cancer Basics playlist as a priority. If you’re new to cancer I’d also recommend the Mutations cause cancer video.” \n“In the Cancer Treatments playlist\, there are videos about all the various treatments I’ll be mentioning in the first session. The two I’d prioritise explain why we use small chemical compounds (small molecules) and antibodies as cancer treatments.” \nAbout Elaine Vickers\nDr Elaine Vickers\nElaine Vickers of Science Communicated Ltd has a PhD in Molecular Biology. She has worked as a cancer educator for over twenty years. \nShe is passionate about demystifying the science behind cancer biology and the latest cancer treatments such as kinase inhibitors\, monoclonal antibodies\, and immunotherapies. \nElaine is experienced in teaching people with any level of scientific or medical knowledge. She particularly loves teaching nurses and other health professionals who might feel daunted by the idea of learning about cancer science. \nHer book\, A Beginner’s Guide to Targeted Cancer Treatments and Cancer Immunotherapy\, is now in its second edition. The first edition was Highly Commended by the British Medical Association book awards. \nElaine also makes short educational videos on cancer biology and treatments\, which you can find on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DrElaineVickers \nFinancial information\nIf you are employed by Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust\, you can use the coupon code NUTH at the checkout to make a provisional booking and you will need to arrange access to in-house development funding. Your booking will remain provisional until your request has been validated with a funding/study leave reference. \nIf you are not employed by the Newcastle Hospitals an online card payment is required at the point of booking. Alternatively\, if you are to be funded by your employer an invoice can be requested by using the coupon code Invoice. \nIf you are a LET employee you will need to pay by card as we are unable to invoice LETs. \nPlease see Coupons for further information relating to coupon codes and how to use them at checkout. \nCancellation and refunds policy\nShould you no longer be able to attend the event on the booked date\, please contact the Academy as we may be able to offer an alternative date subject to an admin charge. \nShould you still wish to cancel your booking\, you or your employer will be charged as per the fees outlined below.  Please contact nuth.newcastlehospitalsskillsacademy@nhs.net to cancel your booking. \n\n\n\nTimescale\nFee paying course\n\n\nOver 6 weeks\n£25 admin charge\n\n\n2 to 6 weeks\n50% of course fee\n\n\n0 to 2 weeks\n100% of course fee\n\n\n\nIf you do not attend on the day\, you will be charged the full cost of the event place. \nSee our Terms & Conditions and Cancellations & Refunds pages for more details.
URL:https://skillsacademy.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/course/introduction-to-the-science-of-systemic-cancer-treatments-and-biomarkers/
LOCATION:Virtual delivery via MS Teams
CATEGORIES:Cancer courses
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://skillsacademy.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Systemic-and-Targeted-Treatments-for-Cancer-e1758559562227.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Newcastle Hospitals Skills Academy":MAILTO:nuth.newcastlehospitalsskillsacademy@nhs.net
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