CERTIFICATION IN INTEGRATIVE ONCOLOGY.
TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING ADVANCES IN THE DEVELOPMENT, PROGRESSION AND TREATMENT OF CANCER: A FRONT-LINE SCIENCE BASED COURSE FOR CANCER PATIENTS, ALL HEALTH CARERS AND STUDENTS OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES.
By Dr. Peter H Kay. (Australian trained Molecular Pathologist, Immunopathologist and Cancer Specialist).
About the course.
I originally prepared this course to enable health carers to establish a business that offers a much-needed life-saving information service to those who suffer from cancer. It includes easily understandable information about factors which influence the development, progression and treatment of cancer as well as basic dietary considerations. It subsequently became clear that it is also of great benefit to patients who wish to understand more about many aspects of cancer and the pros and cons of various treatment options.
For example, chemotherapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer. What is generally not known though is that many chemotherapeutic drugs, when absorbed into the bloodstream need to be activated by certain enzymes before they can be of help. In some cases, chemotherapy drugs may be quite harmful or even cause death if a patient has inherited a particular form of a drug activating enzyme that activates a drug either too quickly or too slowly.
Cancer cells in around half of all cases develop multi-drug resistance. When this happens, chemotherapeutic drugs do not work. The mechanism and significance of multi-drug resistance is introduced in the course.
Another important consideration with respect to determining the effectiveness of chemotherapy or radiotherapy involves the genetic status of a gene called TP53. Around half of all cancer cells have developed a mutant form of the TP53 gene. Recent studies have shown that the presence of mutant forms of TP53 may reduce the benefits of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Implications with respect to TP53 genetics are discussed in detail in the course.
In recent times, remarkable new treatments have been developed by harnessing elements of the immune system. These immune based treatments
avoid many of the problems associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Exciting new immune based anti-cancer treatments such as CAR-T cell therapy and immune checkpoint therapy are detailed in the course.
It is now clear that certain viruses are responsible for development of cancer. Remarkably, one particular virus which can cure cancer has been discovered. The role of viruses with respect to development and resolution of cancer is introduced in the course.
Many cancer cells develop an unusual metabolic pathway that requires excessive amounts of glucose for their survival. This course introduces the participant to dietary changes and other ways that can be applied to counter this cancer cell specific glucose requiring metabolic pathway.
The course also introduces the participant to new safer treatments as well as complementary approaches that are very useful in treatment of cancers.
I have prepared this course based on past and present advances to provide a wide range of genetic, biochemical, metabolic and immunological information to patients, practitioners and students of the health sciences to enable them to understand many aspects of the development, progression and treatment of cancer.
COURSE SYNOPSIS.
1. Summary of cancer causation.
This includes terminology usage. It also includes introduction to many of the body’s defence and repair mechanisms that are relevant to cancer causation and treatment.
2. Factors affecting chemotherapy.
Different kinds of drugs. Factors affecting their efficacy, genetics and importance of cytochrome P450 enzymes, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4, blood factors, genetic considerations, pharmacogenetics. The significance of multi-drug resistance. Cancer stem cells.
3. What can be done to help chemotherapy and radiotherapy work as effectively as possible. Genetic considerations. Introduction to electrochemotherapy.
4. Radiotherapy, pros and cons.
How radiotherapy works. Genetic considerations, radiogenomics. Difficulties with radiotherapy. DNA repair systems. Low dose radiation, benefits.
5. Introduction to immunological aspects.
Immunological factors. Drug/immune reactions. Monoclonal antibodies. Stem cell transplantation, graft versus host considerations. Dendritic cell therapy. Checkpoint immunotherapy. CAR T cell therapy.
6. Introduction to photodynamic therapy.
7. Understanding spontaneous remission.
Oncolytic viral therapy. Infectious agents, Coley’s toxins.
8. Cancer cell specific metabolic pathways. Significance of PARP inhibitors in breast and ovarian cancer.
9. Directions to determine the genetic types of important enzymes.
Is chemotherapy going to be helpful or harmful? The need for genetic typing of genes that encode CYP2D6, CYP3A4, DPD and p53, for example.
10. The Warburg effect.
Usage of 3-bromopyruvate as a cancer cell specific anti-cancer agent.
11. Significance of new emerging treatments.
Reolysin, anti-NTRK fusion protein inhibitors and chemosaturation.
12. Reference to nutritional considerations.
Dietary cancer causing agents. Phytoestrogens. Anti-nutrients.
13. Significance of the Healing Arts and the Psychobiological gene expression system.
The course is included in 35 pages. It is undertaken online with no time limits. It includes a series of 20 multiple-choice questions. Participants will submit their answers to the course developer at peterhkay@gmail.com. I will review the answers to the multiple-choice questions. If needed, I will then be pleased to rectify any misunderstandings.
On completion of the course, participants will be issued with a Certificate in Integrative Oncology.