Release Date: March 24, 2014
Expiration Date: March 24, 2015

Expected time to complete this activity as designed: 30 minutes
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this online activity.

Program Overview

Rapid clinical advances in multiple myeloma have led to unprecedented improved outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma, and this disease appears to be transitioning to one more characteristic of a chronic disease in large part due to rapid translation of clinical insights into practice at the community level. While evidence-based guidelines and consensus recommendations remain an important resource for managing cancer patients, they do not fill the gap between the principles of disease management today and the translation of tailoring treatment for individual patient needs.  One of the significant challenges for community oncologists is navigating the debate of cure versus control.  It is of great interest in today’s practice because the strategies currently undergoing clinical investigations are not truly curative but primarily intended to maximize response rates, and in doing so, it is hoped that this will translate into an operational cure, at least for a subset of patients.  This activity will assist community practitioners understand the principles of disease management that academic experts are exploring through clinical trials while providing their insights regarding what is appropriate for today’s community practice.

Target Audience

This activity is designed for physicians, pharmacists, and physician assistants who have an interest in enhancing their clinical skills in the management of patients with multiple myeloma.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Compare and contrast the ‘curative’ vs disease control (risk-adaptive) treatment planning approach
• Outline when treatment should begin and which tests should be performed to assess disease burden and risk stratification, the value and limitations of cytogenetics, FISH, and additional gene expression profiling tests and their role in treatment planning

Agenda

Shaji Kumar, MD – Moderator
Leif Bergsagel, MD – Panelist
Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD – Panelist

Instructions for Participation and Credit

This activity is eligible for credit through March 24, 2015. After this date, this activity will expire and no further credit will be awarded.

1. Read the target audience, learning objectives, and faculty disclosures.
2. You may be asked to complete a short pre-test before accessing the educational content. This must be completed in order to move forward in the activity.
3. Complete the educational content as designed.
4. Complete the post-test. To receive a certificate, you must receive a passing score of 70%.
5. Complete the activity evaluation survey to provide feedback and information useful for future programming.
6. Certificates may be printed immediately after successfully completing the post-test and activity evaluation.

Faculty Biographies

Shaji K. Kumar, MD
Professor of Medicine
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Consultant, Division of Hematology
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota

Dr. Shaji Kumar received his medical degree at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. He continued his postgraduate training with a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Kumar is currently a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and a consultant, Mayo Clinic Division of Hematology.

Dr. Kumar is board certified in medical oncology and hematology. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association of Clinical Research, American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, American Medical Association, Association of Physicians of India, and the European Hematology Association. His laboratory focuses on the development of novel drugs for treatment of myeloma and he has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including British Journal of Haematology, Blood, American Journal of Hematology, and Bone Marrow Transplant on this topic.

P. Leif Bergsagel, MD
Professor of Medicine
Mayo Clinic
Scottsdale, Arizona

Dr. P. Leif Bergsagel received his medical degree from the University of Toronto. He completed his internal medicine internship and residency at Sunnybrook Medical Centre, as well as an internal medicine residency at Stanford University Medical Center, and a medical oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bergsagel is professor of medicine, College of Medicine, at the Mayo Clinic where he is also a consultant in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Bergsagel is American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certified in internal medicine and medical oncology, and is certified by the Medical Council of Canada, LMCC. He has held professional memberships in the American Association for Cancer Research, American Federation for Medical Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, and the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Bergsagel was a grant reviewer for the International Myeloma Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Leukemia Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, and scientific advisor for Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. He has held editorial positions at Clinical Lymphoma and Humana Press, Inc., Recent Advances in the Biology of Multiple Myeloma, as well as numerous other journal responsibilities. In addition, he has written many peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and abstracts. Dr. Bergsagel’s primary research interest is in molecular pathogenesis of multiple myeloma.

Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD, MRCP (UK), FRCPath
Professor of Medicine
Director of Developmental and Translational Medicine
Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas

Dr. Frits van Rhee received his medical degree at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands, and his PhD at the Imperial College of Science, Medicine and Technology, University of London. He trained in internal medicine and hematology in the UK, and in bone marrow transplantation (BMT) at Oxford and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London. Dr. van Rhee is a professor of medicine and director of developmental and translational medicine with the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Dr. van Rhee holds memberships in the International Society for Experimental Hematology, the International Society for Cellular Therapy, and the European Group for Bone and Marrow Transplantation. He serves on the editorial review boards for Annals of Hematology, Bone Marrow Transplantation, and Cytotherapy. He has written hundreds of manuscripts and abstracts, as well as presented at scientific meetings. Dr. van Rhee’s current research focuses on immunotherapy for myeloma.

Accreditation

CME CREDIT Accreditation Statement: MediCom Worldwide, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Designation Statement: MediCom Worldwide, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of .5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CPE CREDIT MediCom Worldwide, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is acceptable for .5 contact hours of Continuing Education Credit. Universal Activity Number: 827-0000-14-003-H01-P. Knowledge-based CPE activity. In order for CPE Monitor to authenticate credit, pharmacists/technicians must provide their e-Profile ID number from NABP and date of birth (in MMDD format) when registering for a CPE program. Please make sure to provide this information in your Member Profile accessed through the Member Center on the home page of this site.

Disclosure

As an organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and California State Board of Registered Nursing, MediCom Worldwide, Inc. requires everyone who is a position to control the content of an educational activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. The ACCME defines “relevant financial relationships” as financial relationships in any amount, occurring within the past 12 months, including financial relationships of a spouse or life partner, that could create a conflict of interest. Accordingly, the following disclosures were made.

Faculty Disclosures

Dr. Shaji Kumar has received honoraria as a consultant from AbbVie Inc., Celgene Corporation, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, and Onyx. He has received grant support related to research activities from AbbVie, Celgene, Cephalon, Millennium, Novartis AG, Onyx, and Merck & Co., Inc.

Dr. P. Leif Bergsagel has received honoraria as a consultant from Novartis AG and Onyx.

Dr. Frits van Rhee has received honoraria related to formal advisory activities from Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, as well as honoraria as a consultant from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Planning Committee Disclosures

The individuals listed below from MediCom Worldwide, Inc. reported the following for this activity: Joan Meyer, RN, MHA, executive director, and Eugene R. Tombler, PhD, FACME, medical director, oncology, have no relevant financial relationships.

Peer Reviewer Disclosure

In accordance with MediCom Worldwide, Inc. policy, all content is reviewed by external independent peer reviewers for balance, objectivity and commercial bias. The peer reviewers have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Off-Label Disclosures/Investigational Disclosures

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings. Further, attendees/participants should appraise the information presented critically and are encouraged to consult appropriate resources for any product or device mentioned in this program.

Dr. Kumar and Dr. van Rhee have indicated that they do not intend to discuss off-label uses of drugs, mechanical devices, biologics or diagnostics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the US.

Dr. Kumar and Dr. van Rhee have indicated that they do intend to discuss investigational drugs, mechanical devices, biologics or diagnostics not approved by the FDA for use in the US.

Dr. Bergsagel has indicated that he does intend to discuss off-label uses of drugs, mechanical devices, biologics or diagnostics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the US.

Dr. Bergsagel has indicated that he does not intend to discuss investigational drugs, mechanical devices, biologics or diagnostics not approved by the FDA for use in the US.

Hardware/Software/Internet Requirements

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If you have any questions or concerns regarding this activity, please contact MediCom Worldwide, Inc. at 1-800-408-4242 or email us at [email protected].

Provided by MediCom Worldwide, Inc.
This activity is supported by educational grants from Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company and Celgene Corporation.

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