Arab Board Oncology Part 1 study guide
Arab Board Oncology Part 1 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Arab Board Oncology Part 1 is the basic-sciences component of specialty training in oncology within the Arab Board system. It is intended for physicians who are preparing to enter or progress through oncology training and who need to demonstrate a secure foundation in the science that underpins daily cancer practice. The Arab Board Oncology Part 1 study guide has 10 sections and about 3,577 words.
01Cancer Biology, Carcinogenesis and Molecular Genetics
Carcinogenesis is a multistep process in which a cell accumulates genetic and epigenetic alterations that progressively deregulate proliferation, death and genomic maintenance. The hallmarks of cancer, plus the later additions (genome instability, immune evasion, metabolic reprogramming, tumour-promoting inflammation), give you the framework for almost any question in this domain.
306 words, about 2 min02Cancer Immunology and Principles of Immunotherapy
Innate immunity (NK cells, macrophages, dendritic cells) acts within hours without memory; adaptive immunity (T and B lymphocytes) is antigen-specific and generates memory. Antigens are presented on MHC class I to CD8 cytotoxic T cells and on MHC class II to CD4 helper T cells.
292 words, about 1 min03Medical Oncology Pharmacology and Principles of Systemic Therapy
Absorption, bioavailability, distribution, metabolism and elimination determine exposure; most antineoplastics follow first-order kinetics. Drug action is best understood through the log-kill hypothesis (a dose kills a fixed fraction, not a fixed number of cells), the Norton-Simon model of dose-dense scheduling, and Gompertzian growth.
278 words, about 1 min04Radiation Oncology: Radiobiology and Radiation Physics
Ionising radiation injures tissue through the 4 Rs: repair of sublethal damage, reassortment across the cell cycle, repopulation and reoxygenation. Radiosensitivity peaks in late G2/M and is lowest in late S phase.
308 words, about 2 min05Pathology
Pathology answers three questions: is the lesion neoplastic, what is it, and what is its biological behaviour. Malignant features include invasion, metastasis, pleomorphism, high nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio, frequent mitoses, necrosis and infiltrative borders.
267 words, about 1 min06Molecular Diagnostics and Tumour Markers
Molecular results now determine eligibility, drug choice and prognosis. Understand the purpose before the technique: a screening test needs high sensitivity, a diagnostic or confirmatory test needs high specificity, and a companion diagnostic must reliably identify likely responders.
284 words, about 1 min07Diagnostic Imaging
Plain radiography for bone and lung; ultrasound for abdomen, thyroid and image-guided biopsy; CT for staging of lung, liver and bone; MRI for soft tissue, brain, spine, bone marrow, liver, prostate and pelvis; PET/CT with 18F-FDG for metabolically active tumours, occult metastasis and equivocal findings. Diffusion-weighted imaging improves lesion detection without contrast.
283 words, about 1 min08Staging and Response Assessment
TNM describes anatomical extent: T for primary tumour size and invasion, N for regional nodes, M for distant metastasis. Prefixes carry meaning: c (clinical), p (pathological), y (after neoadjuvant therapy) and r (recurrent).
335 words, about 2 min09Biostatistics, Research Methodology and Critical Appraisal
Randomisation with allocation concealment removes selection bias; blinding removes measurement bias; intention-to-treat analysis preserves randomisation and is mandatory for non-inferiority trials. Per-protocol analysis answers a different question and can be biased.
309 words, about 2 min10Epidemiology, Cancer Prevention and Screening
Incidence counts new cases per population-time; prevalence counts existing cases over total population. Age standardisation is essential when comparing populations with different age structures.
915 words, about 5 min