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Title Clinical Oncology for Basic Scientists - A Tailored Clinical Course for Researchers without Clinical Background
Course number 5680
Programme Tumörbiologi och onkologi (FoTO)
Language English
Credits 1.0
Date 2023-08-01 -- 2023-12-31
Responsible KI department Institutionen för biovetenskaper och näringslära
Specific entry requirements
Purpose of the course This translational course is for pre-clinical Ph.D. students and postdocs who wish to deepen their understanding of clinical oncology.
The students will join physicians at Karolinska University Hospital when they meet patients with cancer-related symptoms. They will also have the chance to observe robot-assisted cancer operations and, if possible, get the opportunity to meet patients in their area of interest by shadowing an oncologist.
The students will learn about the clinical behavior of malignant tumors, the main symptoms of cancer patients, and the interdisciplinary organization of cancer care.
The course program will be as individualized as possible, tailored to the student's research focus. The course is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for students that have completed course 5505, "Clinical Oncology for Pre-clinical Doctoral Students".
Intended learning outcomes After completion of the course, the students should be able to:
- Describe the main symptoms of cancer and the side effects of standard therapies.
- Elaborate on the different physician specialties involved in the care of cancer patients.
- Describe in detail the clinical flow of cancer care
- Reflect on the ethical dimension of clinical decision-making regarding the quality of life and cancer-related outcomes.
Contents of the course The course will run over the whole semester and consist of two full days of seminars (one preparatory, one concluding meeting), 5 clinical visits (half days) and one reflective group meeting in the middle of the semester (half day).

The course will start with a one-day meeting to introduce the clinical units involved in patient care, the common symptoms of cancer patients presenting to the emergency room (ER) due to cancer-related issues, and the side effects of anti-cancer therapy.

The students will then, during the semester, on four occasions join an oncologist/resident at the oncological ER at Karolinska Hospital Solna. They will meet patients and discuss the patient cases with the resident physician. Every clinical visit is followed up with the course leader in a 30 min video meeting. On one additional occasion, the students will be able to observe a robot-assisted cancer operation at Karolinska Hospital Huddinge. In addition, one to two visits to an outpatient clinic will be organized such that the student can submit wishes as to the cancer type they are most interested in.
In the middle of the semester, the group will meet. Every student will present a case they encountered during a clinical visit, which will be discussed with the group and the course leader. Psychosocial aspects of the patient encounters will be discussed in particular.

The language of the course is English. The patient meetings will be held in Swedish by the responsible physician. The discussion will then be held in English.

Teaching and learning activities Clinical field visits, seminars. Reflection meetings.
Compulsory elements Attendance to all the course activities and the oral examination is mandatory. The intended learning outcomes will be assessed by the student's case presentation and the student's contribution during the group discussion on the concluding day.

Absence from compulsory parts of the course will have to be compensated for by other activities after discussion with the course leaders.
Examination Active participation in all group meetings. Attendance of at least four field visits.
Concluding oral examinations by the course leader.
Literature and other teaching material It is recommended that the students familiarise themselves with the flowcharts in these guidelines:

ESMO guidelines for side effects of immunotherapy:
https://www.esmo.org/guidelines/guidelines-by-topic/supportive-and-palliative-care/toxicities-from-immunotherapy

Clinical Practice Guideline – Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients
https://www.esmo.org/guidelines/guidelines-by-topic/supportive-and-palliative-care/venous-thromboembolism-in-cancer-patients

Management of Cancer Pain in Adult Patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines
https://www.esmo.org/guidelines/guidelines-by-topic/supportive-and-palliative-care/cancer-pain
Number of students 2 - 4
Selection of students Selection will be based on 1) the relevance of the course syllabus for the applicant's doctoral project (according to written motivation), 2) start date of doctoral studies (priority given to earlier start date)
More information The course runs during the entire semester, starting in late August. The clinical placements are arranged individually. The course will mainly be held at New Karolinska Hospital (NKS) and KI in Solna but partly also at Karolinska Hospital, campus Huddinge.
Additional course leader
Latest course evaluation Not available
Course responsible Marco Gerling
Institutionen för biovetenskaper och näringslära

marco.gerling@ki.se

Hälsovägen 4
NEO, research group MGE
14183
Huddinge
Contact person -