Providing courses and hosting meetings forms the backbone of Pelican’s work – enabling us to share life-enhancing skills and knowledge with cancer clinicians and specialists across the UK and worldwide.

Acute abdomen courses

• One-day course for ST1-3 surgical trainees covering typical conditions seen in an on-call situation and highlighting common pitfalls in their management

Association Meetings

• Hosting association or professional bodies such as AUGIS

Bladder courses

• One day meeting for specialist bladder MDTs to discuss current treatment and research results
• Deanery teaching days on bladder cancer treatments
• Surgery for non muscle invasive bladder cancer
• Intravesical treatment of superficial bladder cancer

Bowel cancer charity day

• One day meeting for all UK bowel cancer charities to encourage discussion and collaboration

Colorectal cancer courses

• TME – one day master-class with Professor Bill Heald going through the Steps of TME
• Low Rectal Cancer (LOREC) workshops for MDTs to discuss decision making for treatment options
• TME MDT – multidisciplinary two day course with live surgery for the whole MDT to discuss rectal cancer treatment
• Laparoscopic colorectal surgery clinical immersion – two to four day course for maximum of eight surgeons for in-depth discussion and surgical experience
• Train the trainer for colorectal laparoscopic surgery – two day intensive course for a maximum of eight surgeons (part of Lapco)
• Colon cancer surgery – looking at current treatment options and precise surgery
• Colorectal diseases M25 – intensive three day course designed to provide an in-depth review of all aspects of colorectal disease, including the controversial and difficult to manage proglems
• Medical oncology day – systemic therapy of colorectal cancer workshop
• Lapco laparoscopic surgery – one day master-class for colorectal surgeons to discuss Defining the Suitable Patient and the Suitably Trained Surgeon

Colorectal metastases/liver cancer

• Four day course for hepatobiliary surgeons, two days in Basingstoke and two days in Paris going through the treatment options for liver metastases

Haemorrhoids

• One day course including six live operative cases going through the different treatment options for liver metastases
• HUG meeting for all members of the MDT involved in treatment

Hepatobiliary carcinoma or primary liver cancer

• HCC nurse-led one day national meeting on current treatment options for HCC

Hernias

• Incisional Hernias – includes live surgery and presentations from experts
• TEP hernia with two live cases

Industry

• Pelican regularly runs courses and meetings with the support of single industry partners to demonstrate particular devices or aspects of cancer treatment

Nurse study days

• For laparoscopic theatre nurses, inlcudes talks on surgery, common problems, demonstration of equipment and hands-on work with different laparoscopic devices
• For stoma nurses, on current developments in rectal cancer treatment
• Primary liver cancer (HCC) – one day course on current treatment and research results for HCC
• Nurse mentoring for colorectal cancer

Pelvic floor

• One or two day pelvic floor master-class, mainly for gynaecologists but also for general surgeons to discuss the use of mesh to repair the pelvic floor, including demonstations of live surgery

Peritoneal Malignancy

Three day international peritoneal malignancy workshop for colorectal surgeons, radiologists, pathologists and nurse specialists on cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC – includes demonstration of live surgery

• Pseudomyxoma Peritonei – a two day consensus meeting on PMP pathology

Prostate cancer

• International research meeting on focal therapy and use of MRI before biopsy
• Use of MRI before biopsy for prostate cancer – two days on the practical aspects of using MRI for identification of significant prostate cancer with a one day practical using pre-loaded work stations for radiologists to practise reporting on prostate cancers
• Green light laser for prostate treatments – can include live surgery and wet lab for hands-on practice

Research

• Pelican regularly hosts meetings for reseach teams, most often for studies that are supported by the charity
• Research Trials Meetings – an oppurtunity for members of the MDT to hear about current trials and discuss recruitment challenges

Surgery

• A one day course covering updates from each of the major sub-speciality surgeries aimed at higher surgical trainees