This session is a basic introduction to cancer treatments and their most common side effects and adverse reactions. The course provides an overview on cancer surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy we well as insights on the mechanisms of action of targeted therapies such as monoclonal antibodies, small inhibitory molecules, CAR-T cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

In the second part of the session, participants will learn about the mechanisms of toxicity linked to the different categories of cancer therapy and how these are managed.

This course is not recommended for clinicians.

This course runs from 10:00am until 13.00pm.

This session, aimed at non-statisticians, will cover the most common primary outcomes measures used in early and late phase cancer trials.

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will learn what makes a good outcome measure, how outcomes measures are defined and what data need to be collected to assess the outcome, especially for tumour response assessment and time to event measures such as survival and disease (or progression) free survival.

This course runs from 10:00am until 13.00pm

This one-day event includes two sessions, which provide a comprehensive introduction to cancer clinical trials for staff new to academic cancer studies.

Introduction to Cancer Clinical Trials (10:00 – 13:00): Participants will get an overview on what clinical trials are, their history and their modern application. The session covers the practical and scientific reasons why we need clinical trials, what are the differences between Phase I, II, III and IV studies and the different methods of randomization. The session also highlights how drug development trials in cancer differ from non-cancer studies and how the new era of targeted therapy and immunotherapy is changing the way cancer trials are designed. 

Running a Trial from Concept to Completion (14:00 – 17:00): This session provides a comprehensive, step-by-step overview of the process involved in designing, setting up, and delivering an academic cancer clinical trial in a hospital setting. Participants will gain an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the organisations and individuals involved, as well as the approvals, permissions, and documentation required at each stage of the trial lifecycle.

This session provides a general introduction to cancer clinical trials for staff new to academic cancer studies.

Participants will get an overview on what clinical trials are and how they can have a preventative, curative or palliative aim. The session covers the practical and scientific reasons why we need clinical trials, what are the differences between Phase I, II, II and IV studies and the different methods of randomization. The session also highlights how drug development trials in cancer differ from non-cancer studies and how the new era of targeted therapy and immunotherapy is changing the way cancer trials are designed. 

Please note that the course will run between 10.00am until 13.00pm.

This session gives an introductory overview of all the steps required to design, set up and complete an academic cancer trial conducted in the hospital setting.

Participants will know what all the organisations and people involved in trials do and what permissions and documents need to be in place at different stages of a trial. The course is of most interest to those new to working in academic cancer clinical trials.  Those currently working in the field who would like to gain an overview of what happens at other stages to the one familiar to them, may also benefit.

This course runs from 14.00 - 17.00

1-day, in-person course

This course will provide an overview of how QoL is used in research studies, covering how to:

• select appropriate QoL instruments for a study
• outline QoL measures in protocols and grant applications
• analyse and properly interpret QoL data

Examples from a range of medical areas would be used, such as cancer, immunology, and paediatric and chronic disorders. Attendees can understand some of the common core principles but also differences in applying QoL between disorders. The course will also outline how QoL is used in decision-making to support implementing new interventions into clinical practice such as market authorisation and market access of new drugs. Sessions will be interactive and based on real-life examples.

Target Audience:

This course is for healthcare professionals, including researchers, clinicians, and statisticians from universities, NHS and pharmaceutical companies. No prior knowledge of quality of life is required.

Times 09.00 to 17.00