Common Feline Cancers (Apr 2024)

Description

This course is aimed at nurses working in general practice / referral practice

Of the numerous cancers that affect our feline companions, lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma, soft tissue sarcoma and mammary tumours are the most frequently diagnosed in the veterinary clinic.

This 4 week course dedicates a week per subject, where we explore the risk factors associated with each of these neoplasms and investigate the methods used to acquire a diagnosis. Treatment options will be discussed with particular detail placed on medical and surgical management techniques that can be applied to general practice and specialist nursing alike.

After completing this online course, participants will have a greater knowledge of these common diseases, enabling understanding of the prognosis and treatment goals; ultimately broadening communication and practical skills in the subject area.

This course is particularly suitable for nurses who have experience in oncology and are looking to broaden their knowledge and compliments the ‘Common Canine Cancer’ course with particular focus on feline friendly care. For nurses in general practice, the course ‘Introduction to Oncology’ may be more suitable.

Week 1

Mammary Tumours

Mammary tumours are a common tumour in cats which are often malignant, yet a small percentage are benign. Early detection and intervention can have a positive outcome and some patients go on to live disease-free lives, others require continuous treatment and monitoring.

Presentation and behaviour of mammary tumours
Diagnosis and staging
Treatment modalities and monitoring considerations

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Explain the potential causes of mammary tumours in cats
List what investigative procedures may be necessary to secure a diagnosis and what safety factors should be observed when sampling masses
Understand which treatment modalities are most useful for which form of the disease
Describe the patient and client care considerations when managing cases of feline mammary tumours

Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)

Pre-recorded tutorial with Nicola = 70 minutes
Further reading = 60 minutes
Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
Crossword quiz = 10 minutes

Week 2

Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphocytes and/or lymphoid tissue, which is present in many locations within the body; presentation and treatment of these cases is dependant on location. This week we will cover:

Manifestation of feline lymphoma and categories of disease
Diagnosis, staging and prognostic indicators
Treatment options for feline lymphoma
Chemotherapy protocols, client expectations and how to create a feline friendly environment

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

List the common manifestations of feline lymphoma and the patient groups most affected
Understand the value of staging and monitoring the disease
Describe the subtypes of feline lymphoma and the difference in treatment approaches
Explain the rationale of a multimodal chemotherapy protocol and how it may impact on prognosis
Analyse personal skill set and determine how you could support feline patients with lymphoma using your practice facilities

Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)

Pre-recorded tutorial with Nicola (3 parts) = 100 minutes total
Further reading = 60 minutes
Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
Word match quiz = 10 minutes

Week 3

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form of head and mouth cancer in cats; the behaviour of this neoplasm is sometimes unpredictable and can be very invasive. On week three we discuss the presentation, investigation and treatment options available for these patients and look at some practices which are novel to veterinary medicine.

Presentation, diagnosis and staging of squamous cell carcinoma, including lymph node mapping
Treatment options and impact on prognosis
Surgical interventions, nursing support and rehabilitation
Introduction to electrochemotherapy and photodynamic therapy

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Describe the different imaging techniques used to evaluate feline squamous cell carcinoma
List treatment options and prognostic indicators for feline squamous cell carcinoma
Understand the mechanism of action behind novel techniques for feline squamous cell carcinoma
Describe the common surgical interventions and post-operative patient considerations

Week 4

Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Feline injection site sarcoma (FISS) is one of the most common soft tissue sarcomas of cats. The disease may present as a minor mass to the owner but often this is just the tip of the iceberg. Week 4 looks at FISS in more detail and brings the courses learning materials all together in this last week

Soft tissue sarcoma pathophysiology overview
Diagnostic and staging processes
Treatment options, radiation and surgical management
Adjuvant (post-operative) chemotherapy and restaging

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Describe the diagnostic approach to determining cancer diagnosis and tumour burden
Explain typical neoplastic behaviour of FISS and the impact of intervention on survival time
Understand the fundamental reasoning for adjuvant chemotherapy and the options for post-operative care

The course will be fully tutored by Nicola Read, and will consist of 10 hours of CPD given in various formats, including tutorials, tasks, case studies, forum discussions and quizzes. This course is tutored for 4 weeks, followed by a two week extension of untutored ‘catch up’ time, before the course officially ends.

All delegates will then have unlimited lifetime access to the learning material for future reference

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Speaker

Nicola Read MSc (Veterinary Nursing), PgCert (Oncology Nursing), PgCert (Vet Ed), DipAVN (Med), AFHEA, RVN
Head Oncology Nurse, Royal Veterinary College

Nicola qualified in 2000 from a well-established small animal general practice in North West London where she also gained the D32/33 Assessor qualification. She spent a year at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2001 to gain experience in a charity based organisation and then moved to the Queen Mother Hospital, Royal Veterinary College in 2002, in order to study for the RCVS Advanced diploma. In June 2008 she became the Head Medicine Nurse at the Royal Veterinary College, then Head Oncology Nurse in 2015 after a departmental split. She recently earned her MSc in Veterinary Nursing and PgC in Veterinary Education. Her clinical interests are endocrinology, gastroenterology, oncology immune-mediated disease and palliative care.

CPD Hours

This online course is worth 10 hours of CPD.

A certificate will be available from the ‘My Courses’ section, for you to download and print, once you have completed the course. A permanent record of your total CPD hours will also be recorded in your account section.

AVNAT

Australia and New Zealand

The Australian Veterinary Nurse and Technician (AVNAT) Regulatory Council has allocated 10 AVNAT CPD points to this continuing education activity.

This course is also recognised by the New Zealand Veterinary Nursing Association (NZVNA) as providing 10 CPD points.

Information

Upon purchase you will be registered to attend the course, for 4 weeks from the start date. The course will consist of various interactive tasks and lessons, including quizzes, case studies, forum discussions and further reading material.

The course is fully tutored, with new material will be provided each Monday morning, but the onus will be on the individual delegate to ensure that all tasks are fully complete. The certificate will only be issued at the end of the course when all tasks have been accomplished. Fewer CPD hours will be awarded at the the end of the course if there are unfinished tasks or there has been no contribution to the discussion forum, for example

The course is fully flexible, and there are no weekly ‘deadlines’ – the lessons and tasks may be completed whenever is convenient for each delegate, and any live lessons with be recorded and made available later that same day. Furthermore, all the course material will be available for a further 2 weeks, to allow delegates the opportunity to catch up on missed lessons and tasks, or to take the opportunity to delve further into the suggested reading texts. Please note however, that the course will not be tutored by the speaker during these final two weeks, but the time spent will count towards your CPD hours

After 6 weeks, the course will be complete and there will be no further opportunity to gain the certificate or CPD hours, however, you will have unlimited lifetime access to the tutorials, further reading and quizzes for future reference. If you make any personal notes during the course using the ‘take notes’ app, these will be saved, along with your certificate and CPD record for permanent access in ‘My CPD’

Levels

This course has been listed as ‘Intermediate / Advanced’ level

All of our courses are aimed at veterinary nurses in general practice, but everyone who works in the veterinary profession is very welcome to attend, whether you are a clinical receptionist, veterinary surgeon, student nurse or have been a qualified nurse for over 20 years!

The courses are not formally assessed for skill level, so the following CPD levels are just a rough guide to help you decide if a course may be more or less suitable:

Introduction
– maybe most suitable for qualified nurses in general practice approaching a new topic or looking for a refresher course

Intermediate
– maybe most suitable for qualified nurses in general practice along with referral / specialist nurses looking for a refresher course

Advanced
– maybe most suitable for referral / specialist nurses and highly experienced qualified nurses in general practice

Pawprints

You will earn 205 Pawprint Points (£20.50 website credit) when you purchase this course

Our loyalty scheme rewards you with 10% in website credit to spend on future courses. Choose pay with Pawprint Points during checkout.

Invoice My Practice

Invoice

Debit or credit card is the preferred payment method

Please ask your practice manager or accounts department to visit the website, register an account in their own name, and during checkout, complete the ‘delegate name’ and ‘delegate email’ sections with your personal details. We will then register you a personal account on your behalf, and transfer the course booking over to your new personal account. We will of course email you all the information you need to access this new account and your CPD course.

If you need an invoice and no other payment method is available to you, then please email [email protected] with all the following information:

Full name of delegate
Email address for delegate
Course(s) booking
Any discounts / promotions being redeemed
Practice name and address
Invoice name and address (if different)
Corporate group name (Linnaeus, IVC, Medivet, VetPartners etc) (if applicable)
Practice code (eg Vet4Pets practices)
Booking / invoice reference (if required)
Email address to send the invoice (practice manager, accounts department or head office – not your own email address please)

Please note the following:

Invoices must be requested a minimum of 4-6 weeks prior to a course starting, to allow time for the payment to be received
Delegates will not be allowed access to any course without prior payment
An invoice will be emailed to the contact provided and the course booking will be reserved for 7 days, whilst payment via debit / credit card or BACS is arranged
There will be an administration fee of £2.50 +VAT per invoice generated. You may book multiple delegates / multiple courses on a single invoice to the same practice

Tutored Online CPD