The Australian Cancer and Health Sciences Competition (ACHSC)

[brightsky]

Just a reminder that registration for the ACHSC opens tomorrow! Don't forget to follow us on Facebook to stay up to date: https://www.facebook.com/cancercompetition?fref=ts!

[geminii]

Hi brightsky,

My teacher's really interested for our school (Mentone Girls' Grammar) to enter the comp. She left a message on the 'For The Teacher' page and her name is Helen Silvester. I was just wondering whether Mentone Girls' Grammar School is on the list, and if not can we enter?

Thanks so much

[Ssuper19]

Is there any way to get the syllabus. And also I've heard that it has been postponed till 2016. Why is this?
Also is there a way to get the syllabus. Please?

[TheAspiringDoc]

Is there any way to get the syllabus. And also I've heard that it has been postponed till 2016. Why is this?
Also is there a way to get the syllabus. Please?

Hey Ssandy,
I can send it to you lol 

[Ssuper19]

Jeez Joey Knob Knob,
Don't mention other people's names on the Internet.
And Thank You

[brightsky]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all your messages and emails! Unfortunately, the competition has had to be postponed until early 2016 in order for our collaborators at the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences to deal with some procedural matters, and for the ACHSC Team to ensure that the competition is a thoroughly rewarding experience for all. We will be sending out official invitations to schools on our contact list with the exact date and venue in the next month or two, once a number of technical issues have been resolved, so tell your teachers to be on the look out for our email. If you are concerned that your school might not be on our contact list, which was provided to us by the University of Melbourne, feel absolutely free to send us an email at [email protected] expressing an interest.

The official ACHSC Syllabus will be released as soon as it is ratified by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. In the meantime, it is highly recommended that you take the time to read through the material on the following websites:

• Comprehensive Cancer Information, National Cancer Institute, http://www.cancer.gov
• Clinical Oncology for Medical Students, Cancer Council Australia, http://wiki.cancer.org.au/oncologyformedicalstudents/Clinical_Oncology_for_Medical_Students

As outlined on our website, the ACHSC Syllabus is divided logically into four areas of study:

1. Cancer Cell Biology

• The structure and composition of a eukaryotic animal cell
• The structure of DNA and the principles of the central dogma of molecular biology
• The stages and checkpoints of the cell cycle
• The principles of cell signalling and the four main signalling pathways associated with cancer: activation of Ras via tyrosine kinase pathway, activation of Myc via MAPK pathway, activation of Myc via Wnt/ß-catinin pathway, and activation of p53
• The relationship between cells, tissues and organs, the characteristics of the four main types of tissues, the characteristics of a normal epithelial cell, and the principles of epithelial-mesenchymal transition
• The two types of tumours and the hallmarks of cancer
• The main cell types involved in the innate and adaptive immune systems, with particular emphasis on natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T cells

2. Causes of Cancer

• The types of genetic mutations and the mechanisms by which cells repair genetic mutations
• The main characteristics of a tumour suppressor gene, with particular emphasis on the genes encoding Rb and p53
• The main characteristics of an oncogene, with particular emphasis on the genes encoding Ras and Myc
• The principles of epigenetics and the two main epigenetic modifications relevant to cancer: DNA methylation and histone modifications (both histone acetylation and histone methylation)
• The principles behind the two models of cancer: the linear progression model and the parallel progression model
• The environmental causes of cancer, including radiation, cigarette smoke, cured meat, asbestos and oncogenic virus (such as HPV and HIV)

3. Types of Cancer

• The main characteristics of benign and malignant tumours
• The four main types of cancers: carcinoma, sarcoma, lymphoma and leukaemia
• The principles of cancer grading
• The principles of cancer staging, with particular emphasis on the TNM system
• The principles behind the following types of cancer: breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma and bowel cancer

4. Cancer Treatment and Prevention

• The main principles of the following cancer treatments: surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy
• The outcomes of cancer treatment

Moreover, follow the ACHSC on Facebook via the following link to receive the latest updates on the competition: https://www.facebook.com/cancercompetition. On the page, we will also be posting news articles about the latest breakthroughs in cancer research both in Melbourne and around the world, as well as practice multi-choice questions to prepare you for the competition that is to take place in the couple of months time.

Thank you so much for your patience, and feel absolutely feel to post in this thread or email us at [email protected] should you have any further queries or concerns! Hope you are all as excited as we are about the first cancer competition for high schools students ever organised in Australia!

Regards,
Victor on behalf of all ACHSC Organisers

[geminii]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all your messages and emails! Unfortunately, the competition has had to be postponed until early 2016 in order for our collaborators at the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences to deal with some procedural matters, and for the ACHSC Team to ensure that the competition is a thoroughly rewarding experience for all.

It seems this works out in my favour! I would have missed the comp if it had stayed the same date due to school camp 
But would the comp be open to next year's year 10's or this year's year 10's?

[brightsky]

It seems this works out in my favour! I would have missed the comp if it had stayed the same date due to school camp 
But would the comp be open to next year's year 10's or this year's year 10's?

The competition is aimed at year 10 students, but not limited to year 10 students. Any high school student in any year level is eligible to apply, provided that the students feels that he or she can handle the workload.