Factors influencing the choice of treatment in skin cancer medicine

"Factors Influencing the Choice of Treatment in Skin Cancer Medicine" is structured into three comprehensive units, offering practitioners a deep dive into the critical considerations and innovations in managing skin cancer.

Unit 1: Factors Influencing Treatment Choice
This unit provides a foundation in understanding the various factors that impact treatment decisions in skin cancer. Participants will explore:
- Tumour-specific factors, including size, location, and histopathological subtype.
- Patient considerations such as age, comorbidities, and preferences.
- Characteristics of treatment modalities, highlighting when surgical options may not be ideal. Special focus is given to the management of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, emphasizing non-surgical treatments like photodynamic therapy, topical therapies, and hedgehog pathway inhibitors for complex cases.

Unit 2: Importance of Dermatopathology
This unit underscores the vital role of dermatopathology in accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. Key topics include:
- The step-by-step process of slide preparation and its limitations.
- Best practices for biopsy techniques to ensure optimal diagnostic accuracy.
- Interpretation of pathology reports and understanding variations in diagnostic reliability. Participants will learn how to collaborate effectively with pathologists, ensure high-quality specimen collection, and interpret pathology findings to inform treatment strategies.

Unit 3: Management of Metastatic Melanoma
The final unit delves into advanced management strategies for metastatic melanoma. Participants will explore:
- The evolution of therapeutic options, including targeted therapies like BRAF and MEK inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies.
- The role of combination therapies in enhancing survival outcomes.
- Case studies illustrating how tumour genetics and patient-specific factors guide therapeutic decisions. Emphasis is placed on the integration of clinical trial findings into everyday practice, ensuring participants are equipped with cutting-edge approaches for complex melanoma cases.

This course is self-paced, includes interactive case studies, and offers multiple-choice assessments to reinforce learning. Participants will leave with a robust understanding of personalized treatment planning in skin cancer medicine, ready to apply their knowledge in clinical practice.