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.

1. Select factors influencing the choice of treatment for skin cancer.

All degree qualified medical practitioners.