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Description
Cancer represents a collection of over 200 distinct diseases and is second only to heart disease as the cause of premature death in the Western world. Cancer is treated by surgery whenever possible, but there is often follow-up treatment with radiotherapy or chemotherapy, and the latter are sometimes used without surgery, either singly or in combination. Although there are a large number of cancer chemotherapic agents in current use, many of these cause unpleasant side effects and there is a need to develop novel agents with higher selectivity and less toxicity. This module begins with an overview of the various different classes of anticancer agents, focusing on their strengths and weaknesses. It will then discuss the various new approaches to cancer chemotherapy still in development that seek to reduce toxicity by enhancing selectivity. Examples will include the kinase inhibitors, anti-angiogenics, genetargeting approaches and antibody targeted strategies such as ADEPT. The module will provide a background to the emerging role of personalized medicine and patient stratification in cancer therapy. Aspects of tumour diversity and heterogeneity, personalized medicines and preventative therapies will be investigated. The module will be enhanced by guest lectures from practising oncologists, medics and experts in anticancer drug development from the pharmaceutical industry.
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Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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