A Cancer First Mindset 

How to Improve Your Full Blood Count Analysis Skills – using a Systematic + Cancer-Centric Approach.

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Sharpen Your Full Blood Count Analysis Skills with the Systematic + Strategic Communication-Centric Cancer-Centric Exam-Centric SAFE Framework.

The SAFE Framework – for Cancer Centric FBC Analysis.

SAFE  =  Systematic + Strategic · Articulate effectively · Focus on cancer · Exam-centric.

Identifying the 4 key results in an FBC / Complete Blood Count

REDUCE RISK · SAVE TIME

S

Systematic + Strategic

Systematic. A full blood count has more than 12 parameters. Without a systematic approach, it’s easy to miss key abnormalities, especially when multiple abnormalities are present. ICUs and stem cell transplant units use checklists for this reason.

Strategic. There are numerous triggers of abnormal results, but in busy clinical practice you need a probability-based list. Learn to rank causes by likelihood, and to reflexively pair results and group them.

💡 In chess, there are many legal moves, but few are smart. 

Medical team of doctors and nurses in a meeting discussing a case around a laptop

COMMUNICATION CENTRIC

A

Articulate Effectively

Learn to identify FBC abnormalities, grade their severity, assess trends and group other relevant abnormal results.

Translate abnormal numbers into clear statementsto communicate effectively with other clinicians and specialists. 

No more vague “has low platelets” – reframe it as  “ a progressive thrombocytopenia – was mild, but now moderate”

Clinicians performing an endoscopy

CANCER-CENTRIC

F

Focus on Cancer

The lifetime risk of developing cancer in the UK is 1 in 2!

Every  FBC result should be astutely analysed to look for cancers.

As modern-day healthcare professionals, you’ll see far more cancer patients than previous generations, so keep cancers near the top of your list from the start.

A cancer-first approach rather than a Cancer later / cancer last approach

Cancer cell and DNA double helix – molecular mechanisms in exam-centric FBC analysis

SCORE HIGHER

E

Exam Centric

Cancer and chemotherapy questions come up again and again – in USMLE, UKMLA, MRCGP, Boards, Royal College, Exit and Fellowship exams.

Once you understand why a particular question is being asked, the concept becomes easier to learn.

Hint : Molecular mechanisms – diagnostics and therapeutic targets – matter.

FBC16 Trainer® Program: Course Outline

8 Online Modules  + 2 Live Webinars ( + 4 Pro Webinars ) 

1

8 Online Modules

FBC Data = Objective Data

Tried and tested checklists that have been used in stem cell transplant units and leukaemia centres.

Work through 8 self-paced online modules at your own speed. Each module has Clinical CheckGrids® to fast-track learning with Pro Tips from decades of clinical practice.

Clinician ticking off a digital checklist on a laptop

Module 1The SAFE Framework and the Core 4

The SAFE Framework and cancer-first approach.

Learning outcomes

  • Name the Core 4 and read them in order; learn the key root words (-philia, -cytosis and -penia) to navigate the many complex terms.

Core 4: A solid starting point and a safe anchor when a screen shows lots of abnormal results.

Module 2Neutrophilia, Neutropenia and Neutropenic Sepsis

Introducing Clinical CheckGrids®.

Learning outcomes

  • List 8 triggers of neutrophilia and distinguish an overactive cancerous condition (CML) from a reactive one.
  • Group the 16 causes of neutropenia into reduced production and increased destruction, and ask the four key questions.
See 2 more outcomesShow fewer
  • Describe the post-chemotherapy neutropenia pattern: the nadir, recovery and the role of growth factors (G-CSF).
  • Suspect neutropenic sepsis and start IV broad-spectrum beta-lactam monotherapy without waiting for cultures, in line with NICE, with a plan B for penicillin allergy.
Patient receiving chemotherapy – early cancer detection starts with careful FBC analysis
Venesection – treatment of erythrocytosis and polycythaemia vera

Module 3Erythrocytosis

The importance of using precise terms:
Polycythaemia rubra vera and Erythrocytosis.

Learning outcomes

  • Separate polycythaemia rubra vera (JAK2 V617F, exon 12) from secondary erythrocytosis, and see how PRV can progress.
  • Recall the 4 key abnormalities in PRV.
  • Pinpoint the 4 key triggers of secondary erythrocytosis.
See 1 more outcomeShow fewer
  • Outline the management of PRV and secondary erythrocytosis.

Module 4Anaemia – Microcytic, Macrocytic and Normocytic

Let the MCV guide you in classifying anaemia.

Learning outcomes

  • Unpick undifferentiated anaemia using the MCV.
  • Investigate iron deficiency for possible gastrointestinal tract cancers, with upper and lower GI tests.
  • Differentiate megaloblastic from non-megaloblastic macrocytosis (B12 and folate, alcohol, liver disease, hypothyroidism).
See 1 more outcomeShow fewer
  • Explain the mechanisms behind normocytic anaemia in renal failure (low EPO) and anaemia of chronic disease (hepcidin).
Red blood cell with central pallor
Red blood cell without central pallor
Platelets – thrombocytosis and myeloproliferative neoplasms
Thrombocyte

Module 5Thrombocytosis and the MPNs

Primary myeloproliferative conditions versus reactive thrombocytosis.

Learning outcomes

  • Name the key mutations in ET (JAK2, exon 12, CALR, MPL), suspect erythromelalgia, and recognise that ET can transform to myelofibrosis or even AML.
See 1 more outcomeShow fewer
  • Identify the 4 key triggers of reactive thrombocytosis (infection, inflammation, iron deficiency, hyposplenism) and tell it apart from essential thrombocythaemia.

Module 6Thrombocytopenia

Thrombocytopenia is complex. Decode it using Clinical CheckGrids®: grade it, trend it and read the pattern.

Learning outcomes

  • Grade thrombocytopenia by severity, assess trends and exclude pseudothrombocytopenia.
  • Categorise drug-related causes into 4 groups.
See 1 more outcomeShow fewer
  • Identify and act on the emergencies: from the common ITP to the rare but life-threatening TTP (ADAMTS13, urgent plasma exchange, caplacizumab), HUS, DIC and HIT.

Module 7The Next 4

Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Eosinophils and Basophils.

Learning outcomes

  • Contrast the cancerous and non-cancerous triggers of raised and low lymphocytes (ALL, CLL; chemotherapy, rituximab, HIV) and of monocytosis (CMML, acute leukaemias, infection), and monocytopenia in hairy cell leukaemia.
See 1 more outcomeShow fewer
  • List the 8 common triggers of eosinophilia.
Blood film showing lymphocytes – interpreting an abnormal FBC (abnormal CBC)
Peripheral blood film: Lymphocytes
Peripheral blood film showing a basophil with dense dark granules
Basophils: note the granules

Module 8Infection Markers, Haemolysis Markers and Haematinics

The final results that complete the FBC16.

Learning outcomes

  • Triage hyperleucocytosis and leucostasis as emergencies.
  • Choose between CRP, procalcitonin and ESR (ESR is not an acute-phase reactant).
See 4 more outcomesShow fewer
  • Interpret reticulocytosis versus reticulocytopenia (aplastic anaemia, pure red cell aplasia), paired with the DAT.
  • Work through low, “apparently normal”, raised and very high ferritin levels, including the causes of a raised ferritin: inflammation, alcohol, liver disease, haemochromatosis (C282Y, H63D), cancer and HLH.
  • Diagnose pernicious anaemia, treat with lifelong IM B12, and think of the risk of gastric cancer and carcinoids.
  • Connect folate to alcohol, haemolysis, coeliac disease (T-cell lymphoma risk), methotrexate and folinic acid rescue.
Bone marrow aspiration – basics of haemato-oncology
Bone Marrow Aspirate

Extra sectionThe basics of Haemato-Oncology

Text to come.

Learning outcomes

  • Place the leukaemias on a 2×2: myeloid or lymphoid, acute or chronic.

That’s the full Basics syllabus, from £75.

Get Access
2

Live Webinars × 2

The modules give you the method. The webinars put it to work on real cases, live, with time for your questions. Each webinar lasts 60 minutes, and every webinar is recorded, so you can catch up or revisit it whenever you need.

Clinician writing notes beside a stethoscope and laptop

Webinar # 1Articulating the Problem Statement

Convert abnormal results into a precise statement.

Drafting a clear problem statement forces you to clarify your thinking, grade the abnormality and check the trend.

Which is better?

  • ✗ “My patient is becoming anaemic. What tests should I do?”
  • ✓ “My patient has a progressive anaemia over 6 months – normocytic, now microcytic – with normal neutrophils and rising platelets.”

Webinar # 2Workflow using Clinical CheckGrids®

Apply the Clinical CheckGrid® workflow to neutrophilia, neutropenia, anaemia, erythrocytosis, thrombocytopenia and thrombocytosis.

3

Pro Webinars × 4

Webinars 3 and 4 take problem statements further, to abnormalities across two, and three or more, cell lines in two advanced parts. Drafting your own keeps your wording precise.

Want the live Pro webinars on Advanced Articulation and the InterFace Medicine® sessions on Myeloma and Lymphoma? Choose Pro.

Get Pro

Pro Webinar # 3Articulating 2 Abnormalities effectively – Advanced I
Stage B CLL, Bicytopenias such as MDS

Case Studies

Abnormalities in two cell lines. A few possible combinations:

  • Both low: anaemia with thrombocytopenia (Evans syndrome); neutropenia with moderate thrombocytopenia (MDS)
  • One low, one raised: microcytic anaemia with thrombocytosis / Stage B CLL
  • Both raised: erythrocytosis with thrombocytosis (PRV)
Pro Webinar #4 – Blast cells of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
Blast cells of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

Pro Webinar # 4Articulating 3 or more Abnormalities effectively – Advanced II
Acute Myeloid Leukaemias,
Pancytopenias – Aplastic Anaemia

Case Studies

Abnormalities affecting all three cell lines, from Aplastic Anaemia to the Acute Leukaemias and Stage C CLL.

InterFace Medicine®

InterFace Medicine® is a cancer-centric approach to the places where specialties intersect. It connects the not-so-obvious dots, and it is what makes medicine such an exciting field to work in.

Pro Webinar # 5InterFace Medicine®
Multiple Myeloma

Case Studies

Haematology-oncology intersects with Radiation Oncology, Histopathology, Orthopaedics, Interventional Radiology, Nephrology, Critical Care and Transplant.

Blood film under the microscope – complete blood count analysis
Multiple Myeloma: bone marrow packed with plasma cells

Pro Webinar # 6InterFace Medicine®
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Case Studies

Haematology-oncology intersects with Surgical Specialities, Histopathology, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Clinical Oncology and Transplant Teams.

Ready to sharpen your FBC analysis?

Choose Basics or Pro and start the FBC16 Trainer® today.

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Cost-effective CPD / CME Credits

CPD Accredited

Earn 5 CPD points for the FBC16 Trainer® Basics and 10 CPD points for the FBC16 Trainer® Pro course. A cost-effective and clinically relevant way of building your portfolio.

CPD accredited – continuing professional development

View + Re View + Revise

Delivered Online

Learn from your clinic or home – no travel needed.

Replay the on-demand webinars as often as you like.

Pro Tip: watch each module twice now, then once more a few months later to make it stick.

Chemotherapy vials and syringe – cancer-centric FBC analysis for early cancer detection
Testimonials

Experiences Shared by Our Clients

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Doctor learning to interpret abnormal FBC results online on a laptop
FC

Core Trainee, Victoria Hospital

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Doctor learning to interpret abnormal FBC results online on a laptop
FC

Core Trainee, Victoria Hospital

Ready to read every FBC with a cancer-first mindset?

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Choose your tier: Basics or Pro

Both tiers include the full course. Pro adds four live webinars on the cancers and combinations that catch clinicians out, and doubles your CPD points.

FBC16 Trainer®

£99
£ 75 (Limited Introductory Offer)
  • 8 online modules covering the key 16 FBC results
  • Clinical CheckGrids®, Pro Tips and quizzes
  • Articulation Templates – Basic
  • 2 Live Webinars (60 min each, recorded)
  • Webinar # 1: Articulating the Problem Statement
  • Webinar # 2: Workflow using Clinical CheckGrids®
  • 5 CPD Points
Get Access

FBC16 Trainer®

PRO
£199
£ 125 (Limited Introductory Offer)
  • Everything in Basics, plus:
  • Articulation Templates – Advanced
  • 4 Extra Live Webinars (60 min each, recorded)
  • Pro Webinar # 3: Articulating 2 Abnormalities Effectively – Advanced I Stage B CLL, Bicytopenias such as MDS
  • Pro Webinar # 4: Articulating 3+ Abnormalities effectively – Advanced II Acute Myeloid Leukaemias, Pancytopenias – Aplastic Anaemia
  • Pro Webinar # 5: InterFace Medicine® – Multiple Myeloma
  • Pro Webinar # 6: InterFace Medicine® – Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
  • 10 CPD Points
Go Pro
(Choose Pro now and save £25 versus upgrading later.)
Popular
FAQs

Find Your Answers Here

What is the FBC16 Trainer® course?

Read any FBC systematically through a cancer-centric lens, know the common and the can’t-miss causes for each abnormal result, and say clearly what you found.

FBC16 Trainer® is built for busy frontline clinicians:

  • Resident doctors, core trainees, IMTs, medical registrars and internists reviewing FBCs on the ward, on take and in clinic.
  • GPs deciding which results need a repeat and which need a referral today.
  • GP registrars building a reliable method, with exam favourites flagged throughout.

F1/F2 doctors, ACPs, PAs and Clinical Nurse Specialists will also benefit.

If you’ve ever paused over a borderline platelet count, an unexplained lymphocytosis or a falling neutrophil count and wondered how worried to be, this course is for you.

What makes the FBC16 Trainer® different?

It all rests on the SAFE Framework: Systematic and strategic, Articulate effectively, Focus on cancer, Exam favourites.

  • Develop a cancer-centric lens. Interpret the FBC not just by looking for abnormalities, but by asking whether it points to the possibility of cancer – not only blood cancers, but gastrointestinal, genitourinary and many more interlinked cancers.
  • Analyse 16 key results in 4 grids. The Core 4, the Next 4, then infection markers, haemolysis markers and haematinics: 16 key results arranged in 4 sets of 2×2 Clinical CheckGrids®.
  • Recognise key can’t-miss abnormalities. Spot the ones you must never miss: CML, TTP, DIC and hyperleucocytosis patterns.
  • Track trends, not one abnormal result. Typically, in exams you are given a clinical vignette with a set of abnormal results.
  • Convert abnormal numbers into a succinct statement.

Sign up to learn from the first modules for free – to see if the modules are a good fit for your learning needs.

 

No refunds will be offered. 

 

FBC16 Trainer® Neutropenia Clinical CheckGrid – Navigating the complex maze of neutropenia
FBC16 Trainer® Neutropenia Clinical CheckGrid – Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia
FBC16 Trainer® Neutropenia Clinical CheckGrid – Neutropenia and blood cancers
FBC16 Trainer® Neutropenia Clinical CheckGrid – Neutropenia with HIV and hepatitis viruses
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FBC16 Trainer® Neutropenia Clinical CheckGrid – Neutropenia and severe infections