Development and Treatment of Breast and Colorectal Cancer Course 4-8 June 2012 at UMC Utrecht

This course will cover the basic principles of colon and breast cancer development, the options for modeling these diseases in the lab, as well as the pros and cons of current and innovative treatment strategies in the clinic. An additional unique aspect of this course is that by using the knowledge obtained during the course you will be asked to devise treatment schedules for interesting/complicated ‘real’ cases and discuss your treatment plans with a surgeon and an oncologist.  The course is open for both biomedical and medical PhD students to promote interaction and discussion between fundamental, translational and clinical researchers.

CONTENT: The course will start at the basis: How is normal tissue homeostasis in the breast and in the colon achieved and how is that perturbed during cancer development? What are the risk factors for developing these cancers? The seminars will also highlight the role of Cancer Stem Cells as drivers of tumor growth and metastasis formation and this will receive special attention in the form of a round-table discussion. Both types of tumors are characterized by an enormous genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. How do pathologists and geneticists recognize and classify these cancers, and how does that influence prognosis and treatment decisions?

What are the options for modeling these diseases in the lab? Should we focus on genetically-engineered mouse models for spontaneous tumor formation, or should we optimize the conditions for culturing human tumors? What’s new in ‘live’ imaging of tumor formation and metastasis?

What are the state-of-the-art treatment options and how do surgeons, oncologists and radiologists choose between them? Finally, by using the knowledge obtained during the course you will be asked to devise treatment schedules for interesting/complicated ‘real’ cases and discuss your treatment plans with a surgeon and an oncologist. 

After this course you will be familiar with the basic principles of colon and breast cancer development, the options for modeling these diseases in the lab, and the pros and cons of current and innovative treatment strategies in the clinic.

This course is free of charge. However, if you have registered and you cancel after May 25, 2012 or do not show up at the course, we will charge you a fee of 100 euro.

Please visit the website www.cto-phd.nl  for registration and more info.