Discordance between cancer prevalence and training: a need for an increase in oncology education

Abstract

-The impact of cancer on healthcare is increasing. Therefore, it is key that all doctors receive oncology training. This study surveyed UK undergraduate medical schools to determine the extent of oncology training provided by their curricula. Data on foundation year (FY) and core medical training (CMT) programmes were obtained and analysed for the proportion of oncology posts. Of the responding medical schools, five (36%) had a defined period dedicated to oncology (mean 2 weeks). Four foundation schools were in London, with 10,094 FY posts in 1699 programmes. IntroductionWith one-in-four people dying from cancer in developed countries, with increasing survivorship and cancer incidence, there is an increased need for knowledge of active cancer management among doctors, irrespective of their primary, secondary or tertiary care specialisation.The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Union Against Cancer 1 recommend that medical students spend a minimum of two weeks training in oncology. 1 Despite this, in a study of undergraduate oncology teaching in 2007, Cave et al. observed that only 39% of UK medical students received any specific teaching in oncology; 2 the authors concluded that greater emphasis should be placed on oncology education, to prepare medical students to work with patients with cancer. 2 Consistent with the limited training in cancer care outside the speciality of oncology, a recent National Chemotherapy Advisory Group (NCAG) report has shown that the clinical care needs of patients with cancer in the community are not being met. 3 This has led to an initiative to develop the subspeciality of acute oncology. 3,4 However, an additional and sustainable solution might be to empower all doctors in primary and/or secondary care settings with the knowledge and experience to manage such patients appropriately until they can be transferred as needed to specialist oncology care.To our knowledge, except for the study by Cave et al., the extent of oncology training in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training programmes has not been previously evaluated. 2 Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the current levels of training in oncology provided to junior doctors. Materials and methods Undergraduate and postgraduate training in oncologyTo determine undergraduate exposure to oncology, an email survey of the 29 clinical medical school deans in the UK was performed. Following undergraduate education in medicine, junior doctors in the UK complete two years of postgraduate foundation-year (FY) training before becoming eligible for full registration with the UK General Medical Council. This is followed by two years of specialist training in general and acute medicine, referred to as core medical training (CMT), before junior doctors become eligible to apply for subspeciality programmes. To assess the extent of oncology training in postgraduate training programs, data on numbers of posts by speciality in FY and CMT programmes in 2011 were obtained from the foundation scho...

An Association of Cancer Physicians’ strategy for improving services and outcomes for cancer patients

“…The curriculum is reviewed regularly to ensure the skill set of oncologists is relevant to the changing demands on the Medical Oncology service. As discussed, the current pressures include the development of acute oncology [ 1 , 2 ] the importance of improving oncological care pathways for the management of the elderly population and the need to stay up to date with regard to the management of acute medical problems pertinent to the oncology patient and to stay on top of the rapid expansion of new knowledge in oncology.…”

“…There is currently only limited time dedicated to non-surgical oncology in undergraduate education (WHO stipulate only 2 weeks). Additionally, less than 60% of postgraduate trainees at FY/CMT currently have the chance to include oncology in their medical rotations [ 2 , 3 ]. The paucity of oncology exposure clearly endorses the importance of the opportunity to use acute oncology as an educational tool for primary, secondary, and tertiary care.…”

Oncology and medical education—past, present and future

“…Oncology is a relatively new discipline, and there is sometimes a tendency for it to be regarded as a postgraduate specialty. A survey of medical schools in 2011 found that only 36% of medical schools included a dedicated period of time for oncology learning in their curriculum [ 1 ]. The median length of time was 2 weeks (range 2–3).…”

Overview of Undergraduate Oncology Interest Groups: Medical Students’ Insights from a National Collaborative Network

“…As demand for oncologists increases [ 8 ] and curricula remain underrepresented [ 9 , 10 ], OIGs offer invaluable access to an untapped source of future physicians. The potential of OIGs is enormous, though, being solely led by students, their full potential is unrealized.…”