Unveiled - A short eLearning course on Oncology in Clinical Trials

Oncology is defined as a medical specialty focusing on the study, diagnosis and treatment of cancer which can affect people of all ages.  Oncology is one of the largest and most extensively studied therapeutic areas in clinical research.  A tremendous amount of research (especially in the past decade) conducted on all aspects of oncology including cell biology, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapies and supportive care has dramatically changed our understanding of the disease.  Oncology literature is very vast (to say the least); therefore, a basic understanding of the key concepts and terminology pertaining to oncology is critical to a successful career in clinical research.

Clinical Trials in Oncology are somewhat more complicated than other therapeutic areas, with Clinical Endpoint and Adverse Event Reporting being some of the major differentiators.  This is another reason why it becomes important for professionals working on Oncology trials to develop a solid understanding of the therapeutic area. 

While working with CliPLab, as a mentor for C-CAP participants, I realized that there is a large pool of professionals that can benefit from an orientation course in Oncology and other therapeutic areas.  The work in Clinical Trial Services is not just about effective usage of analytical tools such as SAS.  Rather, it is much more about applying the knowledge of the domain to determine the right procedure, approach and the tools to be used for the analysis.  A crisp orientation course on relevant therapeutic areas therefore becomes crucial in order to expect a high level of performance from professionals working on a project in a specific area. With the intent to help working professionals develop a basic understanding of the domain, a short course titled ‘Oncology in Clinical Trials’ has been launched.   

This applied course in oncology will cover several topics from the perspective of conducting, analyzing and interpreting clinical oncology research.  The course is divided into several modules delivered in a logical sequence starting with the introduction to the disease followed by cancer risk factors, cancer diagnosis and staging, basics of cancer treatment, clinical endpoints in cancer, RECIST guidelines and clinical trial designs.  Numerous examples and illustrations are provided throughout the course to facilitate a better understanding of the underlying concepts.  This course offers an ideal platform for candidates seeking to enter a project in Oncology and can be taken at their own convenience through the eLearning portal of CliPLab. Want one more reason? As an inaugural offer, CliPLab is offering 50% discount on the course fee.

Watch for a brief overview of the course content.

Any feedback towards betterment of the course are absolutely welcome.

About the author - The author is a veteran in clinical research with over 15 years of rich and diverse experience in the field.  He has worked extensively in Oncology research and contributed handsomely to the scientific and medical literature of international repute. His profile can be viewed at https://in.linkedin.com/pub/digant-gupta/10/689/b49.

C-CAP Lite Unveiled – Merge with the highway to a great career

At CliPLab, our mission is to help youngsters build a meaningful career in Clinical Trial Services Industry. The belief in our mission has enabled us to come up with C-CAP – a proven career development program that captures all aspects of a coveted profile in the industry. While campaigning for C-CAP, we realized that there are candidates trained in SAS programming from other institutes and still unable to make a foray in the industry. We brainstormed over this and came up with an entry path for such candidates to benefit from the C-CAP program. Now, candidates already trained in SAS elsewhere, are able to join C-CAP through an option called C-CAP Lite.

The C-CAP program spans 18 months, out of which first three months are reserved for training in SAS programming. Thus candidates trained in SAS can join C-CAP batch at the end of three months for a particular batch and still get the holistic experience. How do we ensure that the candidates joining through C-CAP Lite option are at par with regular C-CAP candidates in terms of proficiency in SAS? We evaluate the incoming candidates with an in-house technical test that only the candidates with sound programming skills can clear. This helps us maintain the quality at intake and help a larger audience at the same time.

The candidates trained in SAS often go for an internship program run by various institutes or CROs in order to gain practical experience and thus ease their entry into the industry. While these options are useful to some candidates, they have their own limitations, when it comes to predictability. C-CAP Lite is designed with an intention to improve the predictability in your career path and thus create a more tangible, sustainable value in the long run. In a short video, we have examined the situation of a typical candidate, trained in SAS and seeking options to debut in the industry. Watch this video to know how C-CAP Lite can help you reduce the uncertainty in your career journey.

To know more about C-CAP Lite, visit us here.