Thoracic oncology

1. Indications, contraindications, limitations and benefit-risk assessment as well as quality aspects for diagnostic thoracoscopy in the context of thoracic oncology
2. Indications, contraindications, limitations and benefit-risk assessment as well as quality aspects for therapeutic thoracoscopy in the context of thoracic oncology (talc pleurodesis)
3. Principles of discontinuation and bridging of anticoagulants
4. Principles of sedation
5. Sampling and handling of probes

1. Pleural tap
2. Pleural needle biopsy
3. Chest tube insertion and management
4. Blind pleurodesis
5. Cytology Positivity Rates
6. False Negatives

1. Basic principles of diagnostic steps in pathology related to thoracic malignancies
   1. light microscopy: Small cell carcinoma (SCC) vs non small cell carcinoma (NSCLC), squamous vs non-squamous carcinoma, carcinoids
   2. role of immunohistochemistry
   3. molecular pathology: actionable mutations (EGFR, BRAF, MET, NTRK1, Her 2) and gene rearrangements (ALK, ROS1, RET), resistance mutations
2. Basic principles of proper handling of samples in suspected thoracic malignancies
3. Tissue preservation and quality of samples (adequate tumour contents) for light microscopy, immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology (DNA and RNA studies)
4. Liquid biopsy (cell free DNA, circulating tumour DNA)

Basic principles of evaluation of patient fitness for diagnostics and therapy

1. Importance of multidisciplinary teamwork throughout the continuum of thoracic malignancies
2. Multidisciplinary team meeting as the hallmark of decision-making in the process of care for patients with thoracic malignancies
3. Quality requirements and monitoring for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

1. Basic principles and indications of thoracic surgery in thoracic oncology
2. Types of thoracic surgery
3. Role of thoracic surgery in diagnosis as well as curative and palliative treatment

1. Basic principles and indications of radiotherapy in thoracic oncology
   1. Tomotherapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), proton therapy
   2. Quality monitoring and guidelines for safety
   3. Irradiation of extra thoracic disease with its specific complications/side effects

2. Role of radiotherapy in curative and palliative treatment

1. Basis of cytotoxic therapy and biological/targeted therapy
   1. Describe the basic principles of chemotherapy and biological/targeted therapy as well as drug toxicities
2. Indications and contraindications for systemic therapy including chemotherapy and targeted agents
   1. Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC)
   2. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
   3. Mesothelioma
   4. Thymoma
   5. Other mediastinal tumours

1. Basic principles and methods of cancer immunotherapy
2. Indications and contraindications for immunotherapy including combination therapy with chemotherapies
3. NSCLC
4. SCLC
5. Mesothelioma
6. Describe the basic principles of immunotherapy planning

1. Basic principles and indications of rehabilitation programmes
2. Value of rehabilitation programmes in the pre-operative setting as well as after completion of tumour-specific therapy

1. Effects of smoking, heated tobacco products and smokeless tobacco products as well as other smoked or vape-related products on the health of the individual in relation to thoracic oncology
2. Beneficial effects of smoking cessation for preventing thoracic malignancies as well as during and after treatment of thoracic malignancies
3. Treatment modalities for smoking cessation

1. Basic principles of palliative care in thoracic oncology including its early integration as well as end-of-life care
2. Basic principles and options regarding treatment of the following tumour-related symptoms and complications:
   1. Dyspnoea
   2. Pain
   3. Tracheobronchial stenosis
   4. Haemoptysis
   5. Cough
   6. Sialorrhea
   7. Nausea/vomiting
   8. Seizures
   9. Pathologic fractures
   10. Vertebroplasty
   11. Vena cava syndrome
3. Treatment of pleural disease
   1. Talc pleurodesis
   2. IPC
   3. Surgery

1. Teach the patient to recognise early side effects and to contact his/her physician
2. Importance of a multidisciplinary team for both acknowledgement of the patient and provision of care and surveillance

1. Basic principles of management of the following paraneoplastic syndromes:
   1. Cachexia
   2. Hypercalcemia
   3. Thromboses and pulmonary embolism
   4. Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (hyponatremia)
   5. Ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome
   6. Lambert-Eaton syndrome and other neurological disorders (e.g.anti-HU associated symptoms)
   7. Clubbing and periostitis
2. Awareness that the presence of paraneoplastic syndromes per se does not exclude curative treatment in thoracic oncology

1. Prevention of thromboembolism in thoracic oncology
2. Diagnostic and therapeutic management of thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in thoracic oncology

1. Indications, contraindications, limitations and benefit-risk assessment as well as quality aspects for thoracentesis including a chest tube and a tunnelled indwelling pleural catheter
2. Principles of discontinuation and bridging of anticoagulants
3. Principles of sedation

1. Side effects of chemotherapy and their management
   1. Haematological side effects: neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, anaemia and thrombopenia
   2. Mucositis/oesophagitis
   3. Alopecia and dermatological toxicity
   4. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea
   5. Neurotoxicity
   6. Ototoxicity
   7. Hepatic toxicity
   8. Nephrotoxicity
   9. Cardiovascular toxicity
   10. Extravasation: infertility and teratogenesis
   11. Electrolyte imbalance
   12. Side effect in patients with thoracic oncological disease treated with systemic therapy
2. Side effects of targeted therapy and their management
   1. Dermatological toxicity
   2. Diarrhoea
   3. Hepatic toxicity
   4. Cardiovascular toxicity
   5. Pulmonary toxicity
   6. Nephrotoxicity
3. Side effects of immunotherapy and their management
   1. Pneumonitis
   2. Dermatological toxicities
   3. Hepatic toxicity
   4. Cardiovascular toxicity (e.g. myocarditis)
   5. Endocrinological toxicities
   6. Nephrotoxicity
   7. Neurological toxicities
   8. Side effect in patients with thoracic oncological disease treated with immunotherapy
   9. Hematologic toxicity
4. Oncologic therapies in the context of viral pandemics

1. Radiation-induced pneumonitis (short-term) and fibrosis (long-term)
2. Radiation-induced oesophagitis
3. Cardiac toxicity
4. Tracheal complications
5. Skin reactions
6. Secondary malignancy
7. Radiation-induced side effect in patients with thoracic malignancies treated with radiotherapy
8. Risk of radiotherapy-induced malignancies
9. Risk of radiation-induced malignancies

1. Basic principles of solitary pulmonary nodule management including radiological characteristics as well as core diagnostic and follow-up strategies
2. Up-to-date guidelines for the management of solitary pulmonary nodules

Basic principles of diagnostic (recommended procedures and histopathology) and therapeutic management of malignant pleural mesothelioma including multi-modal treatment modalities

Basic principles of diagnostic and therapeutic management of common mediastinal tumours (thymoma and lymphoma)

Metastatic pulmonary tumours as a differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules/masses (e.g. pulmonary metastasis in thyroid, colorectal, prostate, renal or mammary gland carcinoma as well as soft tissue sarcoma and osteogenic sarcoma)

Basic principles of diagnostic and therapeutic management of malignant pleural effusion