Meetings You Can Request for Your Organization

Epothilone Chemotherapies for Metastatic Breast Cancer:
What, When, and How?
Epothilone chemotherapy has recently been approved by the FDA for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. In this regional CE dinner program, breast cancer nurse experts will address issues pertaining to the use of these agents in clinical practice. An overview of epothilones and their ability to overcome multidrug resistance will be described using 3-D video animation. There will also be a review of the mechanism of action of epothilone chemotherapy and a discussion of administration guidelines. The latter part of the presentation will focus on concerns specific to oncology nurses.

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Myelodysplastic Syndromes:
A Nurse-Centric Workshop on Novel Treatment Approaches
Epigenetic silencing of genes that function to suppress carcinogenesis caused by aberrant DNA methylation is one of the mechanisms believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of MDS. Preclinical and clinical research has shown that these epigenetic alterations can be reversed with the use of novel hypomethylating agents. The introduction of such agents has led to a paradigm shift in the treatment of MDS. This nursecentric workshop will comprise three mini-modules addressing diagnostic evaluation, treatment planning, and clinical management of MDS.

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Roundtable Case Discussions on Lung Cancer Symptom Management
The treatment paradigm of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has shifted in recent years. The inclusion of novel chemotherapeutic agents and targeted therapies into the multimodality approach has resulted in improved patient outcomes. However, the severity and duration of side effects associated with these agents can affect quality of life as well as efficacy of treatment. It is often necessary to adjust treatment schedules, sequences, doses, and number of cycles to alleviate adverse events. Oncology nurses and advanced practice oncology nurses play a critical role in ensuring the optimal delivery of these agents. During this interactive, educational roundtable discussion, a lung cancer oncology nurse key opinion leader will review current treatment options for NSCLC.

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Head And Neck Cancers: A 2-Part Comprehensive Course With Nurse-Centric Case Discussions
Head and neck cancers (HNC) are a complex collection of malignancies. They are differentiated, based on histology and tumor location and many require unique treatment strategies utilizing multimodal, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary approaches. Two consecutive educational programs will provide oncology nurses with a comprehensive understanding of HNC treatment and patient management. HNC 101 is an introductory program that will define the different types of HNC and will include disease etiology, staging and diagnostics. Several case presentations will illustrate the role of various treatment modalities, including surgery, induction chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, sequential therapies, and targeted therapies. Nurses from around the country have been invited to submit patient cases to be discussed by the expert presenter and attendees. HNC 201 will depict continued follow-up on patient cases from HNC 101, however the focus will be on nursing management of treatment and disease-related side effects with emphasis on the multidisciplinary approach to care along the treatment trajectory.

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Regional Scheduled Meetings

Is Your Patient at Risk? Nursing Strategies for the Management of Tumor Lysis Syndrome and Venous Thrombolism
Patients with cancer are at risk for numerous disease- and treatmen-trelated complications that, if not addressed appropriately, can be life threatening, including TLS and VTE. Prophylaxis and management of such complications are primary responsibilities of oncology nurses; however, clinical presentation may vary between the acute care and ambulatory settings. To support oncology nurse attendees’ efforts to provide individualized patient evaluation and treatment planning, casebased scenarios depicting assessment, prophylaxis, and management strategies for patients with TLS and VTE specific to acute care and ambulatory settings, will be presented. Following the case studies, each table of participants will collaborate to address a list of questions relating to the management of the case, before sharing their analysis with the remaining program attendees.

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Call-to-Action Workshop: Oncology Nurse Management of Hypersensitivity Reactions
Numerous cancer therapies are associated with HSRs. These infusion-related reactions can range in severity from mild flushing and itching, to anaphylaxis, and in rare cases, death. The accurate identification of the signs and symptoms of HSRs can directly affect treatment decisions. If patients at high risk for experiencing a second reaction can be safely rechallenged, discontinuation of an effective agent may be avoided. It is imperative that oncology nurses are aware of the potential for HSRs when administering therapeutic agents and have protocols in place to prevent and manage these reactions in order to minimize their effects on future treatment.

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Comprehensive Course in Mantle Cell Lymphoma
The program will provide an overview of MCL, including disease pathophysiology, diagnostic work-up, and current therapeutic options in the front-line, relapsed, and salvage settings. Novel agents used in the treatment of MCL will be introduced and their mechanisms of action described via 3-D video animation. In addition, data from recent clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of such novel agents will be reviewed. The program will include a discussion of strategies for supportive care via case presentations of patient experiences. Program attendees will receive clinical tools for use in side-effect assessment and management, and sample patient education materials for use in their individual clinical practices.

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IMER has now posted answers to the questions posed by the Webcast audience that were unable to be answered during the live program.

Day 1 of this first-of-its-kind conference for APNs and oncology nurses will provide a comprehensive overview of the clinical research landscape of hematologic malignancies. Topics will include chronic myeloid leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndrome. Day 2 of this conference for APNs and oncology nurses will highlight current trends in the treatment of solid tumors and the clinical application of recent research developments.

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Active Regional Tours

Oncology Clinical Debates in Colorectal Cancer 2008
IMER is pleased to offer your institution the opportunity to build a customized CME grand rounds program using one or more of the following learning modules:

 

 

• Adjuvant Therapy
• Metastatic Disease With Potentially Curative Intent
• Metastatic Disease With Palliative Intent

Modules 1 and 2 are designated for 0.5 CME credits and module 3 is designated for 1.0 CME credits. In building your grand rounds program, you may choose to incorporate one, two, or all three modules—for an educational activity that is up to 2 hours in length and designated for 2.0 CME credits. Discussions will be moderated by nationally recognized thought leaders in medical and surgical oncology.Your speaker will be selected to best address the audience composition

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New Options for Metastatic Breast Cancer
It is estimated that more than 50,000 women will develop recurrent or metastatic breast cancer in 2008. Several paradigm shifts in treatment approaches have occurred in recent years as new therapeutic targets have been identified and agents developed to exploit them. This program will provide an overview of the current understanding of these targets and include a discussion of targets that remain under investigation. A breast oncology thought leader will discuss optimization of patient outcomes by integrating novel chemotherapeutic and biologic therapies into treatment. A list of ongoing and accruing clinical trials that may be options for your patients will also be outlined. Attendees are encouraged to bring challenging cases and questions for expert discussion. The program will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

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IMER Physician Web Archives

The Future is NOW for the Treatment of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia!
The treatment of CML dramatically changed with the introduction of imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that targets the BCR-ABL chromosomal abnormality—a hallmark feature of CML. Prior to the development of TKIs, the aim of treatment was to control and palliate patients with CML; now there is curative intent. With the proper selection of treatments, physicians can influence survival outcomes. Despite high response rates to imatinib, many patients with the chronic phase of CML will have persistent disease and ultimately relapse. There are several options available to patients who have relapsed or are intolerant to imatinib, including the use of second-generation TKIs such as dasatinib and nilotinib. With the introduction of these agents, several new clinical questions have emerged. Should second-generation TKIs replace imatinib as upfront therapy? What is appropriate disease monitoring? How do you treat a patient with increasing qPCR levels in the absence of a cytogenetic or hematologic relapse? What are the indications for switching to second-line therapy and what are the implications of particular mutations on the choice of second-line therapy? How long should a second-line TKI be used before trying other strategies? What is the role of stem cell transplantation? In light of such new clinical questions, this program is intended to provide attendees with a review of appropriate front-line and salvage therapies as well as strategies for effectively monitoring response to treatment. Attendees are invited to bring their own challenging CML patient cases for expert and group discussions.

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Advances in Chemotherapy Options for Metastatic Breast Cancer: The Introduction of Epothilones
More than 50,000 women will develop recurrent or MBC in 2007. Treatment for patients whose tumors are not hormone-sensitive or are refractory to hormone manipulation typically includes systemic chemotherapy with or without a biologic agent. Among the various treatment options, targeting of the microtubule has been shown to be an effective means of producing anticancer effects, as evidenced by the widespread incorporation of vinca alkaloids and taxanes into treatment regimens. However, these treatments are often associated with a narrow margin between benefit and toxicity, and resistance develops with continued use. The epothilones, with broad-spectrum antitumor effects, are a new addition to the antimicrotubule chemotherapy class. These agents have been under investigation in MBC in recent years. Epothilones have demonstrated antitumor activity in taxane-resistant cancer cells and they are now under investigation as single agents and in combination with other chemotherapies and biologic agents in patients who have failed taxane therapy. This program is intended to educate oncologists about current clinical research on epothilones, their mechanism of action, and how this class of agents fits in the treatment landscape for MBC.

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Colorectal Cancer 2008: Aligning Clinical Practice With Patient Treatment Goals
Amid remarkable progress in the treatment of CRC, clinical questions abound. Fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy has been the mainstay of CRC care since the 1950s. Today, the efficacy of several new therapies has clearly been validated; however, it remains unclear how they work together optimally across the treatment trajectory. As such, how do we make appropriate clinical decisions in light of new research questions, current uncertainties, and diverse treatment options? Are clinical recommendations aligned with patients’ treatment goals? In this first-of-its-kind symposium, leading CRC investigators will moderate discussions regarding optimal treatment decisions in the context of new research and clinical questions raised at this year’s ASCO GI Cancers Symposium. Each investigator will review a disease stage of CRC. Recent progress and new clinical questions for each stage will be highlighted. Following each presentation, audience polling devices will be used to elucidate participants’ treatment recommendations for the relevant disease stage. Panelists will discuss CRC medical oncology practice patterns, and provide their own perspectives on optimal patient management in an ever-changing environment. In preparation for this program, the Institute for Medical Education & Research queried hundreds of patients with CRC regarding topics such as treatment goals and the impact of treatment side effects. Throughout the meeting, patient responses to this survey will be compared with those of participating medical oncologists to determine whether we are effectively aligning clinical decisions with patient goals.

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