RTS2101 Fundamentals of cancer and its management
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
RTS2101 Fundamentals of cancer and its management is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, offered in 2025 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It needs RAD1022.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- Exam 50%
- and 1 other task
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before RTS2101
Prerequisites
Pass these before you enrol.
After RTS2101
No unit lists RTS2101 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Corequisite – Course: M2017.
Overview
This unit provides an introduction to cancer and its management. It allows students to explore the cellular and molecular basis of cancer and how it spreads.
It also covers familial cancers and the principles associated with palliative and radical treatment intent.
The principles of patient centred interdisciplinary oncology are also discussed in the context of the cancer patient experience from diagnosis to treatment and follow up. A range of different cancer management strategies are investigated with a focus on radiation therapy modalities and patient care.
Students will begin to develop an understanding of radiation planning and dosimetry. This unit will also include an introduction to information management in the radiation oncology environment.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | Blended |
Assessment
- Mid-semester exam (2 hours written exam with 10 minutes reading time)Examination50%
- Promotional communication (Group-Wiki 2,000 words; Video 15 mins; Q&A x 3) + Reflection 1,500 wordsArtefact50%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Describe the principles related to cancer biology, the molecular basis of cancer, familial cancers, and the metastatic and systemic effects of cancer
- 2
Differentiate between the radiation therapy modalities used to treat a range of malignant and non-malignant diagnoses.
- 3
Discuss the processes of radiation therapy planning and dose optimisation for a range of diagnoses
- 4
Explain cancer management strategies such a surgery, cytotoxic chemotherapy, hormone therapy in the context of specific diagnoses
- 5
Discuss patient centred care and side effect management in radiation therapy patients
- 6
Characterise the components of a radiation therapy information management system
Workload and teaching
- Lectures9 hours
- Tutorials18 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
12 hours of study per week comprising of 1 hour of online pre-recorded lectures, 2-hour tutorials, 9 hours of self-directed interaction with Moodle-based tasks, readings, and activities.
For full details of the teaching approach to this unit, please refer to Moodle.
Learning resources
Required resources
SCIM - update new fields for 2021
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Associate Professor Caroline Wright
- Unit Coordinators
- Imalda Devaparanam
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for RTS2101?
You need RAD1022 before you enrol. Enrolment rules also apply.
When is RTS2101 offered?
In 2025, RTS2101 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
Does RTS2101 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 50% of the final mark, alongside 1 other task.