Patient-oriented molecular pathology educational resources

OMPRN aims to meet the molecular pathology education needs of all its stakeholders, including patients and members of the greater patient community. Scroll down to see the patient-oriented educational resources that we've developed.

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What is molecular pathology?

This infographic will teach you about the basics of molecular pathology. You will learn about some terms and techniques used in molecular pathology tests used in cancer care.

Liquid biopsy

In this lesson, you will learn about a relatively new medical testing technique called liquid biopsy.

Being an active participant in your cancer care

In this video, Terry Hawrysh (OMPRN Patient Partner) describes the benefits of becoming an active participant in your cancer care.

How do clinical trials work?

Learn about the basics of the clinical trials process in this video.

Biomarkers: The Secret Code of Cancer

Learn about how biomarkers help doctors and other members of the care team make their diagnosis.

What does a Molecular Pathologist Do?

This interview with Dr. Ju-Yoon Yoon, a Molecular Pathologist covers the topic “What does a Molecular Pathologist do” in greater detail. You can learn about the different techniques used in Molecular Pathology as well as how Molecular Pathologists play a role in diagnosing and treating cancer.

Support Professionals in Cancer Care

This infographic serves as a guide for patients about medical professionals involved in cancer care. It outlines various specialists and their most common roles in the diagnosis and management of cancer. Included are examples of questions that each type of support professional is best equipped to answer. If that support professional is not available, you should engage with other members of your care team who can direct you appropriately. Individual experiences may vary, and the roles of the support professionals on your own care team may differ depending on the resources available at your treatment center. This infographic is for educational purposes only. Patients and their families must consult with their primary healthcare provider or seek advice from medical professionals for personalized information regarding their specific condition.

Understanding Common Terms in Clinical Lab Reports, a Clinical Report Glossary

Clinical lab reports are the backbone of communication between lab professionals and healthcare providers. These reports ensure that crucial information about a patient’s condition, diagnosis, and treatment is documented and accurately conveyed. However, these reports often contain technical terms and medical jargon that can be daunting to those outside the medical field. To bridge this gap and empower patients, caregivers, and even budding healthcare professionals with a deeper understanding, OMPRN has created a glossary of common terms found in clinical lab reports. This glossary aims to demystify the terms frequently encountered in medical documents as a way of fostering informed discussions and facilitating better understanding of healthcare information. This glossary serves as a valuable resource for enhancing health literacy and promoting patient-centered care.

A guide to the common abbreviations used in Molecular Pathology

In the world of molecular pathology, abbreviations are commonly used to condense complex terms into a more manageable form. However, these abbreviations aren’t always commonly known, therefore OMPRN has put together a guide to 16 commonly used abbreviations in molecular pathology below.

Understanding Biomarkers

This lesson provides an overview of 10 different types are biomarkers that are commonly encountered in cancer care. Each biomarker is defined and the clinical question they intend to answer is shown. An example of each biomarker type used in clinical practice is also provided for each biomarker type. This infographic is based on the social media campaign titled ‘Understanding Biomarkers’ posted on OMPRN’s social media platforms in July 2024.

Hereditary vs. Familial vs. Sporadic Cancer

This lesson introduces the key differences between hereditary, familial, and sporadic cancers. It also describes how molecular pathology, and genetic testing can help doctors tell the difference between these three types of cancer. Each type of cancer is also described in greater detail along with their differences and similarities. We also provide some questions to ask your doctor about the testing and diagnostic process. By understanding these differences, patients can make informed decisions about their health and cancer risk management.

Can a Blood Test Detect Cancer?

In this lesson, you will learn about the role of blood tests, a type of liquid biopsy, in detecting cancer. The lesson describes some common blood tests that may provide information on cancer, such as Complete Blood Count (CBC), circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). It covers how these tests can help detect cancer, assess treatment response and monitor for recurrence. You will also gain an understanding of common blood biomarkers for different cancers and the limitations of using blood tests alone for diagnosis. The lesson highlights emerging biomarker technologies and emphasizes the importance of consulting healthcare professionals for accurate diagnosis and treatment guidance.

How does Cancer Spread?

In this lesson, you will learn how cancer spreads through a process called metastasis. The lesson will define tumour metastasis and go through a detailed description of each of the steps involved in the metastatic process. The video also emphasizes the importance of regular cancer screenings and early detection as this can affect diagnosis and treatment planning options. This lesson is the basis for a follow-up video on cancer staging, which you can view by clicking here

How does Cancer Staging Work?

In this lesson, you will learn about cancer staging for solid tumours and how it relates to metastasis. We will introduce a standardized staging system for cancer, known as the “TNM cancer staging system.” We will also describe each component of the system and conclude the lesson by describing examples of solid tumours using the TNM scale. This lesson is the follow-up video to the ‘how does cancer spread’, which you can view by clicking here

Learning Opportunities

The Ontario Molecular Pathology Research Network (OMPRN) is dedicated to improving the understanding of molecular pathology for everyone in the province. We have recently begun developing online educational resources for patients and members of the greater patient community, including family, friends, caregivers and the general public. The lessons that we have created mainly use a “micro-learning” format, which means they are brief, focused and get the point across quickly.

A small collection of patient-oriented microlessons can be found on this page – stay tuned for more coming soon!

We encourage you to explore the lessons on this page to learn more about molecular pathology and how it is involved in cancer care and research. You can complete as many of these lessons in any order that you wish. We have included helpful information about the lessons, like its learning objectives, difficulty level and estimated time to completion to help you decide which lessons are right for you.

If there are any molecular pathology topics you would like to learn more about, please visit the Contact Us page to send us a message! Feel free to share these resources with anyone who you think might benefit.

Please note that any information you find here is for educational purposes only.

More lessons coming soon!

Those are all the patient-oriented lessons we have for now – check back later for updates as we continue adding to this resource. If you would like to learn more about the topics, you can follow the links we have provided with each lesson. If there are any molecular pathology topics you would like to learn more about of if you would like to leave us a comment about these lessons, please visit the Contact Us page to send us a message!

The trusted resources listed on this page are created by organizations or individuals with established expertise in healthcare and healthcare education.

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