Course At A Glance

• Course: Certificate in Primary Care Oncology
• Duration:  3 Months (access)
• The medium of instruction: English

About the Course

BACKGROUND

In the quarter century since 1990, annual deaths from cancer have increased by nearly 2/3rd. Globally today, 1 in 6 deaths is due to cancer. By 2020, approximately 15 million new cases will be diagnosed and 12 million cancer patients will die.

Approximately 70% of deaths from cancer occur in low income and middle-income countries, with the increase in deaths attributable to longer life spans and life style changes in the developed world. Around 1/3rd of death from cancer is due to five leading behavioral and dietary risks viz. increased BMI, low fruit intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use and alcohol abuse.

The health-care personnel most suitable to take on this burgeoning cancer morbidity would be the primary care and ‘family’ doctors who are positioned to give wellness advice, to notice familial predilections, to screen for early presentation, to implement appropriate strategies for confirming diagnosis and initial management, as also to support patients through and after intensive tertiary-care therapies.

Most GPs are neither prepared nor updated on recent approach/protocols in cancer care. They would also find it hard to take time off their busy practice or workplace schedules, to travel long distances to pursue a structured on-site workshop/course at a tertiary-care venue, to upgrade their clinical competence to desirable levels.

ADDRESSING THE FELT NEED

In this scenario, a pedagogically-grounded schematically-designed long course which is accessible online, is a promising solution; which incorporates the best features drawn from successful forerunners in on-campus and distant education.

The three-month certificate course in oncology focuses on building the knowledge of primary care physicians and enhancing their skills; not merely awarding certificates.

This course empowers primary care physicians to successfully recognize the common features of cancer at the earliest, advise the patient optimum investigations, and refer to an oncologist at the right time, from within their own clinical practice setting.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The aim of this focused learning is to empower, enrich and upgrade general physicians (who come from diverse rural to semi-urban back grounds): with the latest subject material, clinical expertise and skills, practice guidelines and scientific principles on which the management is based; and guidance on dealing effectively with all kinds of common cancers and complications as well as recognizing more unusual/rare/minor lesions.

At the end of the Course the learner will be able to:

*Execute surveillance and screening for common cancers, and early detection

*Treat the disease with superior competence so as to prevent/retard its progression and incidence of complications.

*Administer palliative care in patients with advanced disease, and proffer advice on ways to enhance the quality of life.

*Educate and counsel the patient & attendant/ family on potential complications

*Suggest and guide his/her patient community in all aspects of prevention of Cancer

The TARGETTED LEARNER GROUP:

Qualified (MBBS) General Physicians

PEDAGOGY

The learners’ profile requires the content to flow in an intuitive way so that any general physician with even minimal computer knowledge can negotiate the Course with ease.

Our course design is therefore matched to a third-world practice context, yet incorporating evidence-based medical practice norms set to global standards.

COURSE DESIGN: Blended Learning

The online component provides conceptual framework and theoretical basis of the specialty subject i.e., Oncology through audio-visual lessons.

Course Syllabus

• WWEEK	TOPIC
  1	Oncology over view, oral cancer, laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers, Malignancy of unknown origin of neck, Salivary glands and Nasal cavity cancers
  2	Head and Neck cancers, Thyroid cancers, Skin cancers, Breast lump
  3	Investigations in Breast cancer, treatment, lung cancer, Investigations
  4	Screening in lung cancer, follow-up, treatment, Uterine cancer, endometrial cancer, Ovarian cancer,
  5	Vaginal and vulval cancer, Cervical cancer, Clinical presentation of Brain tumor, Investigations and treatment, follow-up, treatment sequalae, palliative treatment
  6	Esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, Biliary tract cancer, colon cancer
  7	Rectal and Anal cancers, Screening of GI cancers, follow up, treatment, palliative care, Renal and Bladder cancer
  8	Prostate cancer, penile cancer, Testicular cancer, screening of Genito urinary cancer follow up, treatment, palliative care of soft tissue cancer
  9	Bone tumors, lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, Wilms’s tumor
  10	Neuroblastoma, Retinoblastoma, pediatric CNS tumors, Brain metastasis, Bone metastasis, Malignant ascites
  11	Malignant pleural effusion, malignant spinal cord compression, Bleeding in cancers, Stridor in malignancy, Febrile Neutropenia, Nutrition in cancer patient
  12	Chemotherapy administration, Recent advances in oncology, principles and recent advances in Radiation and Chemotherapy, Complimentary, Alternative and Integrated therapies in cancer care

Course Delivery Format

Digital Book:

A typical digital book is in a page turn format with easy to follow explanations alongside a range of exhibits and is integrated with audio-video sessions. All the material is developed as per the latest curriculum prescribed by regulators. It offers a succinct coverage of requirements and is periodically updated.

Assessment

There is a final exam that will be conducted online at the end of the course

Course Fee

• Fee is Rs 25000/-  ( for Indian Drs)
• Fee =US $  ( for International Drs)

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