Cancer epidemiology and pathogenesis (a.a. 2023/24)

    Topics

Epidemiology of cancer

The "vocabulary" of clinical oncology for medical biotechnologist.  Analysis of frequency, distribution and trend of major neoplasms on a European perspective. Major causes of cancer, to identify and develop strategies for prevention and control. Epidemiology and problems of rare cancers. Precision and personalized oncology.

Pathogenesis of cancer

The hallmarks of cancer and cancer stem cells: self-renewal, replicative immortality, cancer initiating activity and metastasis, resisting cell death. Models of cancer organization and therapeutic implications. Pathways involved in stemness maintenance; methods and limitations in studying cancer stem cells. Tumor microenvironment and the cancer stem cell niche. Cancer cell plasticity and genetic instability. Effect of tumor microenvironment on cell plasticity. Senescence: promoting and inhibiting effects in cancer progression, outcome on cancer cell and tumor microenvironment; therapeutic implications. Tumor microenvironment: cytokine pro-tumor effect and cytokine directed anti-cancer therapy. Genome instability: definition and cause; the catalogue of mutations as a tool to monitor the neoplastic progression and to assess the patient’s therapeutic response. Epigenetic reprogramming: modifications of DNA methylation and histone modifications in cancer, therapeutic use of methylation inhibitors and histone acetylase inhibitors. Epigenetic reprogramming in cancer through non-coding RNA.

Prerequisites for admission:

 

The student must have acquired the fundamental concepts of the biological and molecular pathogenetic mechanisms of cancer (alteration of proliferation, apoptosis and genetic instability), of the statistical analysis and the basic laboratory techniques for the study of cellular functions, phenotype and genome.

 

 Assessment methods and criteria (Exam)

The exam will be a written questionnaire of six open-ended questions on the topics listed in the program for the duration of one hour and a half.

The evaluation parameters will include the ability to organize the answers, the ability to critically reason on the study carried out and to integrate the notions acquired; the quality of the exposition, the competence in the use of the specialized vocabulary.

The mark will be expressed in thirtieths and will be the mean of the marks obtained in the six questions.

To pass the exam, all the answers must be sufficient.

The result of the written exam will be communicated on the Ariel portal.

Molecular diagnostics (a.a. 2023/24)

Research and development of new diagnostic and therapeutic metodologies (a.a. 2023/24)

Social aspects of biotecnology (a.a. 2023/24)

Cancer immunology (IMM, ONC) (a.a. 2023/24)