| A: General principles of the biology of thoracic cancers |
| 1 Carcinogenesis |
| 2 Tumour immunology |
| 3 DNA damage and repair |
| 4 Epigenetics |
| 5 Oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes |
| 6 Cell cycle and apoptosis |
| 7 Growth factors and signalling pathways |
| 8 Oncogenic driver mutations |
| 9 Tumour microenvironment and angiogenesis |
| 10 Mechanisms involved in metastasis |
| B: Aetiology and epidemiology |
| 1 Descriptive epidemiology of lung and other thoracic cancers |
| 2 Tobacco |
| 3 Air pollution (outdoor and indoor) |
| 4 Asbestos |
| 5 Other occupational carcinogens |
| 6 Radon decay products |
| 7 Chronic inflammation (COPD, infections) |
| 8 Genetic susceptibility and gene-environment interactions |
| C: Clinical presentations |
| 1 Performance status |
| 2 Signs and symptoms |
| 2.1 Cough |
| 2.2 Haemoptysis |
| 2.3 Chest pain |
| 2.4 Dyspnoea |
| 2.5 Wheezing |
| 2.6 Stridor |
| 2.7 Hoarseness |
| 2.8 Phrenic nerve paralysis |
| 2.9 Dysphagia |
| 2.10 Pleural effusion |
| 2.11 Palpable peripheral lymph nodes |
| 2.12 Superior vena cava syndrome |
| 2.13 Pancoast syndrome |
| 2.14 Pericardial effusion |
| 2.15 Lymphangitic spread |
| 2.16 Bone metastases |
| 2.17 Brain metastases |
| 2.18 Liver and adrenal metastases |
| 2.19 Other metastatic sites |
| 3 Paraneoplasic syndromes |
| 3.1 Cachexia |
| 3.2 Hypercalcaemia |
| 3.3 Thromboses and pulmonary embolism |
| 3.4 Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone |
| 3.5 Ectopic adrenocorticotropin hormone syndrome |
| 3.6 Other paraneoplastic syndromes |
| D: Diagnostic Procedures |
| 1 Principles of screening, target population, biases |
| 2 Imaging (Chest radiograph, Computed tomography, PET and PET-CT, Ultrasound, Bone scaning, Magnetic resonance imaging) |
| 3 Imaging guided biopsy |
| 4 Bronchoscopy |
| 5 Medical thoracoscopy |
| 6 Open lung biopsies and VATS |
| 7 Mediastinoscopy |
| 8 Pulmonary nodule: definition and diagnostic algorithm |
| 9 Tumour markers |
| 10 Diagnosis and staging algorithms |
| 11 Fitness for therapy |
| E: Imaging |
| 1 Methods and indications of thoracic cancer and other thoracic tumours |
| 1.1 Chest radiographs |
| 1.2 Computed tomography |
| 1.3 Bone scanning |
| 1.4 PET and PET-CT |
| 1.5 Others (MRI sonography) |
| 2 Interpretation of imaging patterns of thoracic tumours |
| 3 Solitary pulmonary nodule |
| 3.1 Imaging, Bayesian approach and diagnostic algorithms for solitary nodules |
| F: Diagnostic and interventional bronchoscopic techniques and medical thoracoscopy |
| 1 Indications and contraindications of bronchoscopy and pleuroscopy |
| 2 Therapeutic endoscopy (stents, cryotherapy, laser techniques, brachytherapy) |
| 3 Therapeutic pleuroscopy |
| G: Clinical and pathological staging |
| 1 TNM description |
| 2 T description |
| 3 N description |
| 4 M description |
| 5 Stage grouping |
| H: Pathology of intrathoracic tumours |
| 1 Conditioning of cytological and biopsy specimens for pathology/molecular analysis |
| 2 Preinvasive lesions for lung neoplasms |
| 3 Pathology of lung neoplasms |
| 4 Pathological classification and molecular pathology of nonsmall cell lung cancer |
| 5 Pathology and molecular pathology of neuroendocrine and small cell lung cancer |
| 6 Pathology and molecular pathology of mesothelioma |
| 7 Thymoma and germ cell tumors (“frequent” mediastinal tumours) |
| 8 Rare mediastinal tumors |
| 9 Interpretation of pathological reports |
| I: Prognostic factors/predictive markers |
| 1 General methodological considerations |
| 2 Clinical factors |
| 3 Histopathological factors |
| 4 Molecular markers |
| J: Principles of thoracic surgery |
| 1 Oncologic principles of surgery for lung tumours |
| 2 Indications, contraindications and perioperative care for thoracic surgery |
| 3 Surgical techniques |
| 4 Alternatives to lobectomy and pneumonectomy |
| 5 Surgery in the context of multi-modality treatment |
| 6 Palliative surgical procedures |
| 7 Surgery for synchronous and metachronous cancers |
| 8 Surgery for oligo-metastatic lung cancer |
| 9 Diagnostic, curative and palliative surgery for mediastinal tumours |
| 10 Curative and palliative surgery of malignant mesothelioma |
| 11 Pulmonary metastases from other sites and its management |
| K: Management of surgical complications |
| 1 Pain control after thoracic operations |
| 2 Post-operative pneumonia: diagnosis, treatment and prevention |
| 3 Empyema and bronchial fistula after pneumonectomy/lobectomy |
| 4 Prolonged airleak |
| 5 Post-operative bleeding |
| 6 Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) |
| 7 Cardiac complications after surgery: infarction, arrhythmia |
| 8 Chronic pain after thoracotomy |
| 9 Chronic complications after pneumonectomy |
| 10 Other chronic complications |
| L: Principles of radiation therapy |
| 1 Radiotherapy planning and techniques |
| 2 Indications and contraindications for radiotherapy |
| 3 Thoracic radiotherapy with curative intent for lung cancer |
| 4 Thoracic palliative radiotherapy |
| 5 Prophylactic, therapeutic and palliative cranial irradiation |
| 6 Stereotactic ablative radiosurgery |
| 7 Palliative radiotherapy for other metastatic sites |
| 8 Radiotherapy for mesothelioma and thymoma |
| 9 Management of side-effects |
| M: Principles of systemic therapy |
| 1 Basis of cytotoxic therapy |
| 2 Basis of biological therapy |
| 3 Indications and contraindications for systemic therapy including chemotherapy and targeted agents |
| 4 NSCLC (Nonsmall cell lung carcinoma) |
| 4.1 First-line induction and maintenance therapy for advanced NSCLC including chemotherapy and targeted agents |
| 4.2 Second line therapy for NSCLC |
| 4.3 Further lines of treatment |
| 5 Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) |
| 5.1 First-line therapy for SCLC |
| 5.2 Second line therapy for SCLC |
| 5.3 Further lines of treatment |
| 6 Systemic therapy of mesothelioma |
| 7 Systemic therapy for mediastinal tumours |
| N: Side effects of systemic therapy and their management |
| 1 Quantification of side-effects |
| 2 Side-effects of chemotherapy |
| 2.1 Haematological side-effects |
| 2.1.1 Neutropenia and febrile neutropenia |
| 2.1.2 Anaemia |
| 2.1.3 Thrombopenia |
| 2.2 Mucositis/oesophagitis |
| 2.3 Alopecia and dermatological toxicity |
| 2.4 Nausea and vomiting |
| 2.5 Diarrhoea |
| 2.6 Neurotoxicity |
| 2.7 Ototoxicity |
| 2.8 Hepatic toxicity |
| 2.9 Nephrotoxicity |
| 2.10 Cardiovascular toxicity |
| 2.11 Extravasation |
| 2.12 Infertility and teratogenesis |
| 2.13 Electrolyte imbalance |
| 3 Side-effects of molecular therapy |
| 3.1 Dermatological toxicity |
| 3.2 Diarrhoea |
| 3.3 Hepatic toxicity |
| 3.4 Cardiovascular toxicity |
| 3.5 Pulmonary toxicity |
| 3.6 Nephrotoxicity |
| O: Combined modality treatments |
| 1 Adjuvant chemotherapy for early NSCLC |
| 2 Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy for early NSCLC |
| 3 Combined radio-chemotherapy for locally advanced NSCLC |
| 4 Combined radio-chemotherapy for limited SCLC |
| 5 Combined treatment for mesothelioma |
| P: Management of particular groups of patients |
| 1 Elderly |
| 2 Poor performance status patient |
| 3 Unfit patients due to comorbidities |
| 4 Patients with HIV |
| 5 Preneoplastic and preinvasive lesions |
| 6 Synchronous, metachronous lung tumours |
| 7 Oligometastatic disease |
| 8 Patients with brain metastases |
| 9 Ischaemic heart disease in potentially operable patients |
| 9.1 Screening and work up |
| 9.2 Treatment options and recommendations |
| 10 Atherosclerosis of carotid vessels in the surgical patient |
| 11 Strategy in patients with combined lung and extra-thoracic malignancies (head and neck, bladder, colon, kidney, breast, etc.) |
| Q: Treatment evaluation and follow-up |
| 1 Survival/progression-free survival |
| 2 Response assessment |
| 3 Other surrogate endpoints |
| 4 Quality of life/symptom improvement |
| 5 Follow-up |
| R: Supportive care |
| 1 Pain management |
| 2 Management of dyspnoea and respiratory failure |
| 3 Management of malignant airway obstruction |
| 4 Management of superior vena cava syndrome |
| 5 Management of paraneoplastic syndromes |
| 6 Malignant pleural effusion |
| 7 Malignant pericardial effusion |
| 8 Management of bone metastases |
| 9 Nutritional support |
| 10 Intensive care |
| 11 Indications and management of intervascular stent and catheters |
| 12 Psychological support for the patient and family |
| 13 Rehabilitation |
| 14 End-of-life care |
| 15 Communicating with the patient |
| 16 Patient education |
| 17 Smoking cessation |
| S: Methodologies for clinical practice and research |
| 1 Study design and phases |
| 2 Principles of biobanking |
| 3 Statistical analysis |
| 4 Evidence based decision |
| 5 Guidelines assessment and application |
| T: Ethics |
| 1 Ethical issues |
| 2 Conflicts of interest |
| U: Cancer-related immunology |
| 1 Basic principles of cancer-related immunology |
| 2 Specific immunotherapy |
| V: Economic considerations in lung cancer treatment |
| 1 Principles of quality management in thoracic malignancies |
| 2 Quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) |
| 3 Principles of cost-effectiveness of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgical therapy and radiotherapy |
| 4 Cancer registries |