1. Cancer Prevention and Screening
Stephen Duffy
Module lead
Ivana Sestak
Deputy

2. Module contents Methods of epidemiological research
How to ascertain the causes of disease?
Common causes of cancer
Prevention strategies
Evaluation and implementation
Screening for cancer

3. Epidemiological methods
Discovery of the correlates and cancer
Who gets it and who doesn’t?
Age, sex, geography
How to establish causal action?
Affluent women have higher rates of breast cancer than deprived women, but WHY?

4. Cancer Prevention Can we change lifestyles to prevent cancer?
Smoking
Obesity
Alcohol
Chemoprevention
Hormones to prevent breast cancer
Vaccines against pathogens causing cancer

5. Question Smoking is estimated to cause 20% of cancers
Does this mean that if a smoker gives up smoking the best to be hoped for is a 20% reduction in cancer risk?

6. Cancer Screening Complexities of evaluation
Lead time, delayed benefit
Screening in practice in the UK
Breast
Cervix
Colorectum
Potential other cancer screening activities
Prostate, lung, ovary

7. Course structure Unit Value: 0.5 Total Student Study Hours: 75
Taught Hours: 15
Private Study Hours:
50-60
Courses:
MSc Cancer Therapeutics
MSc Molecular Pathology & Genomics
Semester:
Two
Timetable:
Tuesday 12:30 – 14:00
Summary of Assessment Method:
Exam (60%)
In Course Assessment – 40%

8. Course structure Lectures – about 5 sessions
Small tutorial groups of between 6-8 students – about three sessions

9. Thank you