OVERVIEW

Demystifying Targeted Cancer Treatments is organized by FutureLearn.

Description:
Thanks to ground-breaking research over the past 20 years, new, more targeted treatments and immunotherapies have been developed that are changing the way we treat cancer, and providing new hope for patients. Join us and discover the science behind these treatments and learn through quizzes, interviews, articles and patient case studies You’ll learn from experts in the field and gain a deeper understanding of how targeted cancer treatments and immunotherapies work to support your patients.

What topics will you cover?
• What are targeted treatments and how are they used today
• Biological concepts behind targeted cancer treatments
• Cell communication and cancer
• Treatments for solid tumours that block cell communication pathways (monoclonal antibodies and kinase inhibitors)
• Communicating to patients about targeted cancer treatments
• Side effects of treatments and how they impact patients’ quality of life
• The unique properties of blood cancers and the targeted therapies used to treat them
• The relationship between cancer and the immune system
• Various immunotherapy strategies including checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cell transfer and cancer treatment vaccines
• How immunotherapy is reported in the news and managing patient expectations of treatment
• The challenges of drug resistance and the implementation of biomarker tests
• The future of targeted cancer treatments

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
• Understand the science behind targeted cancer treatments and how they work
• Improve confidence in communicating to patients and colleagues about targeted cancer treatments, immunotherapy and biomarkers
• Appreciate why so called 'targeted treatments' cause side effects and understand how they impact patients’ quality of life
• Recognise some of the current challenges and future potential of targeted cancer treatments