PHA-30059 - Module Specification
School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering
Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

Oncology I, PHA-30055

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

The hallmarks of cancer were defined at the beginning of this century to provide a rational overview of the complex features manifested by cancer cells across diverse human tumours. Today, it is evident that the original hallmarks fail to distil the full complexities of human cancer pathogenesis. Thus, newly emerging hallmarks have been defined to provide an explanation to the mechanisms that underpin the full evolution of preneoplastic cells into an aggressive malignancy. This module will discuss how these emerging features (e.g. metabolism, the immune system, angiogenesis and metastatic dissemination) alter the nature of cancer cells and can be exploited for the design of new therapeutic opportunities. The module will complement the PHA-30055 Oncology I module and through the in-class analysis of recent scientific publications will stimulate debate and discussion about defining new treatments for the future cure of cancer.

The module will explore the newly emerging hallmarks of cancer and discuss with students their implication in the development and progression of cancer and their use for the design of novel targeted therapies.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Evaluate how metabolic rewiring, immune evasion, angiogenesis and metastatic dissemination represent newly identified functional capabilities acquired by cancer cells that are crucial for their ability to form malignant tumours.: 1
Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the different therapeutic approaches currently being developed for the targeting of these emerging hallmarks of cancer cells.: 1
Evaluate how patients benefit from these targeted approaches and briefly assess whether this is likely to affect future decisions by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).: 1
Discuss the importance of biomarkers and evaluate potential biomarkers for the different therapeutic approaches.: 1

Study hours

Lectures and presentation: 18 hours
Independent Study hours:
Pre-reading: 18 hours
Researching and studying: 74 hours
Drafting assessment: 40 hours

School Rules

This module is restricted to students that have also selected Oncology I (PHA-30055)

Description of Module Assessment