Education and training

Do you work in clinical trials and want to know more about cancer trials?

If so you may be interested in our courses which are aimed at those new to academic cancer clinical trials.

Our courses give an introduction to this field of research. Places are limited, and priority is given to applicants actively involved in academic clinical trials working in a UKCRC Registered Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) or for the NIHR Clinical Research Network in the NHS. For example, trial assistants, data managers, trial managers, statisticians, clinicians and research nurses. If you do not fit this category then you can ask to be put on the waiting list for any unfilled places and, if a place is available you will receive notification 2 weeks before the course.

  • Statisticians new to cancer trials should attend the annual Introduction to Cancer Clinical Trials for Statisticians Course.
  • Clinicians may benefit from two of the Trial and data management courses: Running a Trial from Concept to Completion and Trial Outcomes.
  • Experienced trialists wanting to become more effective trainers from any discipline (statistical, regulatory, trial management) may be interested in attending our Train the trainer course
All courses take place at the Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trial Centre.

If you have require any further information about any of our courses please contact ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk.

Introductory Courses

These courses are aimed at trial managers, data managers, trial assistants, research nurses and trial practitioners new to academic cancer clinical trials. These are introductory courses aimed at those wishing to expand their knowledge.

Available courses and Materials

Entering patients into clinical trials - pre treatment screening and eligibility - Monday 21st October 2024
Description:

This session gives a comprehensive overview of the clinical pathways cancer patients can take to be eventually referred for trial entry. The first part of the session spans across the diagnostic methods and staging of cancer and gives a brief overview of the common tests carried out prior to trial treatment.

In the second part of the session participants will learn about the importance of ensuring only eligible patients enter a trial and how eligibility criteria help to safeguard patients and differ amongst different phases of trials. They will also learn the importance of assessing treatment compliance and how every clinical intervention comes with a different set of challenges in collecting data about patient compliance. 

This course is not recommended for clinicians

Trainer:
Laura Hughes
Start date:
21/10/2024
Start time:
10:00
End time:
13:00
Cost:

Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:

£0 free for attendees from units within the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:

  • Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
  • Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit

The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in.  

 

Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this.

£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations

£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC Training Administrator at ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk    

Please note: payment is by credit or payment card only. 

Course materials

Cancer treatments and their side effects - compliance and adverse event reporting - Thursday 7th November 2024
Description:

This session is a basic introduction to cancer treatments and their most common side effects and adverse reactions. The course provides an overview on cancer surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy we well as insights on the mechanisms of action of targeted therapies such as monoclonal antibodies, small inhibitory molecules, CAR-T cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

In the second part of the session, participants will learn about the mechanisms of toxicity linked to the different categories of cancer therapy and how these are managed.

This course is not recommended for clinicians.

Trainer:
Giulia Pellizzari
Start date:
07/11/2024
Start time:
10:00
End time:
13:00
Cost:

Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:

£0 free for attendees from units within the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:

  • Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
  • Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit

The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in.  

 

Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this.

£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations

£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC Training Administrator at ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk    

Please note: payment is by credit or payment card only. 

Course materials

Trial outcomes - what are we trying to measure? - Monday 2nd December 2024
Description:

This session, aimed at non-statisticians, will cover the most common primary outcomes measures used in early and late phase cancer trials.

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will learn what makes a good outcome measure, how outcomes measures are defined and what data need to be collected to assess the outcome, especially for tumour response assessment and time to event measures such as survival and disease (or progression) free survival.

Trainer:
Will Wilson
Start date:
02/12/2024
Start time:
10.00
End time:
13.00
Cost:

Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:

£0 free for attendees from units within the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:

  • Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
  • Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit

The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in.  

 

Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this.

£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations

£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries, please contact the CTC Training Administrator at ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk    

Please note: payment is by credit or payment card only. 

Course materials

Introduction to cancer clinical trials for new starters - Monday 24 March 2025
Description:

This session provides a general introduction to cancer clinical trials for staff new to academic cancer studies.

Participants will get an overview on what clinical trials are and how they can have a preventative, curative or palliative aim. The session covers the practical and scientific reasons why we need clinical trials, what are the differences between Phase I, II, II and IV studies and the different methods of randomisation. The session also highlights how drug development trials in cancer differ from non-cancer studies and how the new era of targeted therapy and immunotherapy is changing the way cancer trials are designed. 

This course will take place in person in the CTC, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 4TJ

Trainer:
Giulia Pellizzari
Start date:
24/03/2025
Start time:
10:00
End time:
13.00
Cost:

Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:

£0 free for attendees from units within the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:

  • Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
  • Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit

The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in.  

 

Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this.

£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations

£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC Training Administrator at ctc.training@.ucl.ac.uk  

Please note: payment is by credit or payment card only. 

Course materials

Running a trial from concept to completion - Monday 28 April 2025
Description:

This session gives an introductory overview of all the steps required to design, set up and complete an academic cancer trial conducted in the hospital setting.

Participants will know what all the organisations and people involved in trials do and what permissions and documents need to be in place at different stages of a trial. The course will be of most interest to those new to working in academic cancer clinical trials.  Those currently working in the field who would like to gain an overview of what happens at other stages to the one familiar to them, may also benefit.

This course will take place in person in the CTC, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 4TJ

Trainer:
Rubina Begum
Start date:
28/04/2025
Start time:
10.00
End time:
13.00
Cost:

Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:

£0 free for attendees from units within the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:

  • Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
  • Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit

The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in.  

 

Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this.

£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations

£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC Training Administrator at ctc.training@.ucl.ac.uk  

Please note: payment is by credit or payment card only. 

Course materials

PIS Online Workshop – how to design clear and accessible Patient Information Sheets 19/11/2024
Description:

Description:

Patient Information Sheets (PIS) are a key document for potential participants to make an informed decision about whether to take part in a clinical study.  While there is clear guidance from the Health Research Authority (HRA) on content and regulatory requirements, PIS are customised for each clinical trial and the specific patient population. Choosing the right language and format for patient facing materials for research studies and clinical trials still greatly varies and depends on the skills and experience of the team putting them together.

In this workshop attendees will gain useful insights on how to work on the format, language and delivery of the PIS thanks to the participation of patient representatives with experience in clinical trials of different phases and with different clinical interventions. The session includes an initial overview of the HRA guidance on the PIS design, an introduction to writing in plain English and a patient’s perspective in providing consent to a clinical study, followed by group work where research staff will go into virtual breakout rooms with Patient and Public representatives to review together a PIS that will be provided to the attendees a week prior to the course. Most importantly, at the end of the course, participants will be provided with a “PIS Checklist”: a memorandum of the considerations to take into account when designing (or reviewing) a Patient Information Sheet.

This session will take place online via Zoom

Last booking date 28 October 2024


Trainer:
Course tutors: Linda Von Neree, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Lead, BRTU PPI Lead and Giulia Pellizzari, PhD, Lecturer/EducationLead, Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
Start date:
19/11/2024
Start time:
10.00
End time:
12.30
Cost:
Fees & Registration

This course is free for staff from Units within Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:


The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in. 

Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this. 

Attendees from outside the ICTM will be required to pay an attendance fee. Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:

£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations

£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations 

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC training administrator via ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk

Please note payment is by payment or credit card only

Course materials

Entering patients into clinical trials - pre treatment screening and eligibility - Thursday 15 May 2025
Description:

This session gives a comprehensive overview of the clinical pathways cancer patients can take to be eventually referred for trial entry.

The first part of the session spans across the diagnostic methods and staging of cancerand gives a brief overview of the common tests carried out prior to trial treatment. 

In the second part of the session participants will learn about the importance of ensuring only eligible patients enter a trial and how eligibility criteria help to safeguard patients and differ amongst different phases of trials. They will also learn the importance of assessing treatment compliance and how every clinical intervention comes with a different set of challenges in collecting data about patient compliance.


Trainer:
Laura Hughes
Start date:
15/05/2025
Start time:
10.00
End time:
13.00
Cost:

Fees &RegistrationThis course is freefor staff from Units within Institute of ClinicalTrials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:

The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please emailctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in. Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.ukwho can assist you with this. Attendees from outside the ICTM will be required to pay an attendance fee. Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:

£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations

£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations 

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC training administrator via ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk

Please note payment is by payment or credit card only

Course materials

Cancer treatments and their side effects - compliance and adverse event reporting - Monday 9 June 2025
Description:

This session is a basic introduction to cancer treatments and their most common side-effects and adverse reactions.

The course provides an overview on cancer surgery ,radiotherapy and chemotherapy we well as insights on the mechanisms of action of targeted therapies such as monoclonal antibodies, small inhibitory molecules, CAR-T cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

In the second part of the session, participants will learn about the mechanisms of toxicity linked to the different categories of cancer therapy and how these are managed.

This course is not recommended for clinicians. 

Trainer:
Giulia Pellizzari
Start date:
09/06/2025
Start time:
10.00
End time:
13.00
Cost:

Fees &Registration

This course is free for staff from Units within Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:

The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in. 

Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this. Attendees from outside the ICTM will be required to pay an attendance fee. Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:

£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations

£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations 

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC training administrator via ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk

Please note payment is by payment or credit card only

Course materials

Trial outcomes - what are we trying to measure? - Thursday 3 July 2025
Description:

This session, aimed at non-statisticians, will cover the most common primary outcomes measures used in early and late phase cancer trials.

Participant swill learn what makes a good outcome measure, how outcomes measures are defined and what data need to be collected to assess the outcome, especially for tumour response assessment and time to event measures such as survival and disease (orprogression) free survival.


Trainer:
Will Wilson / Amy Kirkwood
Start date:
03/07/2025
Start time:
10.00
End time:
13.00
Cost:

Fees & Registration

This course is free for staff from Units within Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:

The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in. 

Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this. Attendees from outside the ICTM will be required to pay an attendance fee. Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:

£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations

£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations 

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC training administrator via ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk

Please note payment is by payment or credit card only

Course materials

Training resources and materials
Statistician courses & resources

Available courses and Materials

Introduction to Cancer Clinical Trials for Statisticians Course 12 & 13 November 2024 HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Description:

THIS COURSE HAS BEEN CANCELLED

A two day course to introduce delegates to the biology, diagnosis, staging, and treatments of cancer and how these relate to the main outcome measures used in cancer clinical trials (adverse events, response, survival and other time to event endpoints).

Target audience
This is an introductory course suitable for recent MSc graduates or more experienced statisticians new to the field of cancer treatment trials. 

Delegates do not need to have prior knowledge of cancer. 
 
Course lectures
  • An introduction to cell and cancer biology and how these impacts on choice of treatment, tumour spread and outcome measures 
  • A detailed view of cancer diagnosis and staging and how these impact on pre-trial entry screening tests and eligibility criteria 
  • Commonly reported patients and tumour characteristics and issues in choosing appropriate stratification factors for cancer patients
  • Outline of traditional and innovative cancer treatments 
  • A detailed overview of the mechanisms of toxicity expected with different cancer treatment categories 
  • Summary of adverse event reporting categories
  • Outcome measures and response criteria in solid tumours and haematological malignancies 
  • Issues in survival and time to event analyses 
  • Challenges and opportunities of new generation of cancer trials
Opportunities
  • Discussions and Q&A sessions - an opportunity for you to ask questions and for the lecturers to help you with your specific needs.
  • Interactive quizzes for you to test your newly acquired knowledge
  • Two workshops – an opportunity for you to turn theory into practice and for networking


Trainer:
Andre Lopes & Giulia Pellizzari
Start date:
12/11/2024
Start time:
10.00 am
End time:
05.00 pm
Cost:

THIS COURSE HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Fees & Registration

Early Bird until 16th September 2024
  • £200 for participants from non-profit organisations 
  • £350 for participants from for profit organisations 

Late registration from 17th September 2024
  • £300 for participants from non-profit organisations 
  • £450 for participants from for profit organisations

Spaces are allocated on a first come first served basis, up to a maximum of 20 people. 

Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC Training Administrator at ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk

Payment is by credit card only. 

Last date for registration - Sunday 3 November 2024



Course materials

Statistical Monitoring Programs for R

Below are the programs used in Application of methods for central statistical monitoring in clinical trials. Clinical trials, Volume 10 Issue 5 October 2013 pp. 769 - 792.

The links give the R code and a word document with instructions on how to run the program and interpret the output.

Program nameInstructionsR Code
Dates: Order Checking
Dates: Weekends and National Holidays
Outliers
Digit Preference: Integers
Digit preference: Benford’s law and comparison with all other sites
Comparison of Means: Chernoff Faces and Star Plots
Inliers
Checking adverse event rates
Correlation checks
Variance checks
Categorical variables
Web applications

This online application allows the user to design randomised phase 2 trials (with either 2 or 3 arms) using a margin of practical equivalence. This work was done by Dr. Hakim-Moulay Dehbi and will be published in a scientific journal in the near future.

Clinician courses and resources

Information on courses aimed at clinicians can be found here

For more information on partnering with a CTU

Other education and training

CTC staff also collaborate with the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) courses as well as undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and our statisticians run a number of UCL graduate skills courses aimed at researchers across UCL

There are currently no training courses available.

Contact Us
Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
University College London
90 Tottenham Court Road
London
W1T 4TJ

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Email:
ctc.enquiries@ucl.ac.uk
Telephone:
+44 (0)20 7679 9898 (General CTC Enquiries)
Fax:
020 7679 9899
University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT +44 (0)20 7679 2000

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