Cancer

Details

Title

Cancer

Type

Stage Two

Module code

HLS139

Requirement

Compulsory

Module objective

By the end of the training period trainees will, in respect of competencies in the clinical biochemistry of cancer, be able to:

• analyse, synthesise, evaluate and apply knowledge
• perform a range of technical and clinical skills and procedures
• demonstrate the attitudes and behaviours necessary for professional practice as a consultant clinical scientist dealing with the complexities, uncertainties and tensions of professional practice at this level.

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of the training period the trainee will be able to demonstrate the ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesise relevant knowledge and its application to their professional practice in relation to:

• the range of tumour markers undertaken in clinical biochemistry laboratories and their relationship to specific types of cancer including prostate, lung, breast ovarian, thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, liver, testicular cancers and those of the gastro-intestinal tract
• methods of measurement and the clinical significance of tumour markers undertaken within clinical biochemistry
• pathological processes that lead to the production of tumour markers
• the criteria for an ideal tumour marker
• how tumour markers may be utilised in screening, diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis
• the uses and limitations of serum, urine and other fluid tumour markers in terms of diagnostic specificity, sensitivity, reference ranges and serial measurements
• the techniques used for the analysis of tumour markers and their relative merits
• the principles and limitation of immunoassays in tumour marker analysis.

Technical and clinical skills

By the end of the training period the trainee will be able to demonstrate a critical understanding of current relevant research, theory and knowledge and its application to the performance of the following technical procedures and laboratory skills:

• specialist tumour marker analysis and explain the results obtained
• tumour marker results
• the appropriateness of use of biochemical tumour markers for different types of cancer in the context of screening, diagnosis and monitoring
• the interpretation of tumour marker results in the context of the limitations of the analytical techniques used.

By the end of the training period trainees will, in respect of the competencies in the clinical biochemistry of cancer, be able to perform the clinical skills necessary to manage under supervision:

• liaison with both general physicians and oncologists on the interpretation of tumour marker results.