Arab Board Oncology Clinical study guide
Arab Board Oncology Clinical · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Arab Board of Health Specializations Oncology (Clinical) examination is a specialty board credential for physicians who have completed oncology training and are seeking recognition to practise as clinical oncologists within the Arab region. It is aimed at candidates who already hold a primary medical degree plus accredited residency or fellowship training, and who are preparing to sit the final specialty assessment. The Arab Board Oncology Clinical study guide has 10 sections and about 2,634 words.
01General Oncology and Principles of Cancer Biology
Candidates must connect hallmarks of cancer (self-sufficiency in growth signals, insensitivity to growth inhibition, evasion of apoptosis, replicative immortality, angiogenesis, invasion/metastasis, genomic instability, immune evasion, deregulated metabolism) to clinical behaviour and drug classes. Know the oncogene vs tumour suppressor dichotomy: oncogenes (RAS, MYC, HER2, BCR-ABL) are activated by gain-of-function mutation/amplification and are dominant; tumour suppressors (TP53, RB, APC, BRCA1/2, PTEN) follow Knudson's two-hit logic and are recessive at the cell level.
310 words, about 2 min02Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention, and Screening
Master incidence vs prevalence vs mortality , crude vs age-standardised rates , 5-year survival , and lifetime risk . Understand study designs used in epidemiology - cohort vs case-control vs ecological - and their bias profiles (selection, recall, lead-time, length-time).
266 words, about 1 min03Diagnostic Oncology, Staging, and Tumor Pathology
Understand the diagnostic pathway : history/exam → imaging → tissue diagnosis (core biopsy preferred over FNA for architecture and biomarkers) → pathology → staging. Know TNM principles (AJCC/UICC), the difference between clinical (cTNM), pathological (pTNM), and post-neoadjuvant (ypTNM) staging, and stage grouping .
272 words, about 1 min04Systemic Anticancer Therapy (Chemotherapy, Targeted Therapy, Immunotherapy)
Know cytotoxic classes and mechanisms : alkylators (cyclophosphamide, cisplatin - DNA crosslinks), antimetabolites (methotrexate, 5-FU, gemcitabine - folate/pyrimidine synthesis), topoisomerase inhibitors (etoposide, irinotecan, doxorubicin), taxanes (microtubule stabilisation), vinca alkaloids (microtubule depolymerisation). Understand cell-cycle specificity vs phase-nonspecificity , log-kill and dose density , combination principles (non-overlapping toxicity, different mechanisms, synergy).
250 words, about 1 min05Radiation Oncology
Understand radiobiology : the 4 Rs (repair, redistribution, repopulation, reoxygenation), the linear-quadratic model , α/β ratios (early-responding tumours ~10 Gy; late tissues ~3 Gy), and fractionation (conventional 1.8–2 Gy; hypofractionation; SBRT; hyperfractionation). Know dose constraints for organs at risk (spinal cord, brainstem, optic chiasm, lung V20, heart mean dose, parotid, bowel).
267 words, about 1 min06Surgical Oncology and Multidisciplinary Management
Understand the multidisciplinary team (MDT) model: surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, specialist nurses, and palliative care. Know surgical principles : oncologic resection with negative margins (R0) , en bloc resection , lymph node dissection vs sentinel node biopsy , and staging laparoscopy where relevant.
294 words, about 1 min07Solid Tumors (Breast, Thoracic, GI, GU, Gyn, Head & Neck, CNS, Skin, Sarcoma)
For each site, know risk factors, presentation, staging, molecular drivers, and standard first-line therapy . Breast: ER/PR/HER2 subtypes, staging, neoadjuvant vs adjuvant, CDK4/6 in HR+/HER2− metastatic, PARP in BRCA.
252 words, about 1 min08Hematologic Malignancies
Understand leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndrome . Acute leukaemia: AML (cytogenetics, FLT3, IDH, APL with ATRA/DIC), ALL (Ph+, CNS prophylaxis).
217 words, about 1 min09Supportive Care, Palliative Care, and Oncologic Emergencies
Supportive care spans antiemetics (5-HT3, NK1, dexamethasone per emetogenicity), G-CSF for febrile neutropenia risk, pain management (WHO ladder, opioids, adjuvants), nutrition , psychosocial support , fertility preservation , and survivorship . Palliative care: symptom control (dyspnoea, pain, nausea, constipation, delirium), advance care planning , goals-of-care discussions , and end-of-life care .
244 words, about 1 min10Research Methodology, Biostatistics, and Evidence-Based Oncology
Understand study designs (RCT, cohort, case-control, cross-sectional, meta-analysis), randomisation and blinding , allocation concealment , and bias (selection, information, confounding, publication). Know outcome measures : overall survival, progression-free survival, disease-free survival, response rate, quality of life, and surrogate endpoints .
262 words, about 1 min