Cancer Therapeutics

Module code: BS4403

‘Cancer therapeutics’ takes an in-depth look at the changing ways we approach cancer treatment, and discusses the ethical issues surrounding cancer research and treatment. We will consider the influences of diet, lifestyle and socio-economic status on cancer risk and survival. We will first investigate the current primary approaches to cancer treatment and critique their use and efficacy. We will explore the types of biomarkers used for cancer diagnosis/prognosis, and critically explain their discovery, validation, use and relative benefits. 

By critically discussing the principal mechanisms of action underlying chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and biologic therapy of cancer, you will gain a better understanding of how tumour cells develop resistance to therapy and strategies for overcoming resistance. Finally this module will elucidate the process of drug target discovery, target validation, drug design and stages of testing for clinical utility. This module will equip you with the following transferable skills:

• How to critically communicate complex issues in written and oral format
• Solving complex problems where data are incomplete or contradictory
• Carrying out literature searches using appropriate tools
• Studying design to test a hypothesis