Free CME

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome arising from diminished ventricular filling or ejection of blood. HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is characterized by abnormality in the systolic function and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of <40%. The prevalence of HF is about 40 million people globally and approximately 6.5 million in the U.S., and as the global population continues to age, the prevalence of HF is expected to continue increasing over the coming decades. HFrEF constitutes a major public health concern, with five-year survival rates as low as 25%, and it carries with it a significant risk of emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

There has been increased focus recently on guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in HFrEF, and evidence suggests that each ten percent improvement in measures of guideline-recommended composite care is associated with a thirteen percent lower odds of 24-month mortality. Nonetheless, research shows that substantial portions of patients are not treated with guideline-recommended doses, even after taking into account dose-limiting physiological parameters, and that guideline non-adherent practice is associated with poorer outcomes.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: Cardiologists and PCPs; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in cardiology; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with HFrEF.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the most common hematologic malignancy after non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with an incidence of over 34,000 and an annual mortality rate of over 12,000. MM-induced osteocyte apoptosis facilitates MM cell survival, and patients with MM are at high risk for bone disease. Osteolytic lesions are reported in up to four out of five newly diagnosed with MM, and throughout their disease course, up to 90% of patients will eventually develop bone lesions. The presence of bone lesions increases MM patient risk for skeletal-related events (SREs), such as fractures, spinal cord compression, or need for surgery or radiotherapy. Bone disease and SREs can have serious consequences in MM, leading to worsened quality-of-life and prospects for survival. Patients who experience fracture after MM diagnosis have a two-fold increased risk of death relative to those who do not experience fracture. Yet bone disease frequently goes untreated in patients with MM, suggesting that clinicians are not familiar with the serious effects of MM.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a cancer that is borne and takes root in the nephrons. It is responsible for most cancers of the kidney and renal pelvis, which occur in 79,000 people and account for close to 14,000 deaths in the U.S. per year. The five-year survival rate is 93% for patients with early stages of the disease. However, in patients with advanced or metastatic disease, the five-year survival is 14%, representing an area of ongoing clinical need. Treatment selection in advanced, clear cell RCC treatment depends on prognostic scoring and may include mono- or combination therapy with immunotherapy and an antiangiogenic agent, and many of the same agents are used to treat advanced, non-clear cell RCC.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: Medical oncologists and urologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in oncology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with RCC.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Narcolepsy is a neurologic disorder characterized by inappropriate regulation of the sleep-wake cycle and excessive sleepiness during waking hours. Affected individuals may fall asleep at inappropriate times, such as when talking to others, eating, or even driving. Roughly 135,000 to 200,000 people in the United States are estimated to have narcolepsy. Women and men are affected by narcolepsy equally, and most patients begin having symptoms between the ages of 7 and 25 years. The treatment of narcolepsy may be complicated and must be tailored individually after careful evaluation of the patient’s symptoms.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: neurologists, internists, PCPs, psychiatrists; nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists who specialize in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and those who otherwise commonly care for or clinically encounter patients with sleep disorders.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

The term human papillomavirus encompasses a family of DNA viruses that are sexually transmittable and may cause either benign or malignant lesions. They are the leading cause of cervical cancer (CC), with approximately 90% of CC cases attributable to HPV, as well as a major contributor to anogenital and head and neck cancers, although many patients infected with HPV will never develop any related symptoms or disease. The prevalence of HPV in the U.S. is 42.5 million people, and direct medical costs attributed to it are $775 million. HPV 16 accounts for a majority or plurality of HPV-related cancers of both genital tract and head and neck.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends HPV vaccination beginning as early as age nine for both sexes, with the schedule and number of doses dependent on age of first dose.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: Primary care physicians and pediatricians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients who would benefit from HPV vaccination.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) characterized by steatosis, with the accumulation of fat in the liver in excess of five percent of the liver’s weight, together with hepatic inflammation in the presence or absence of fibrosis. Risk factors for NASH include a number of comorbid metabolic diseases and disorders, including metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. The prevalence of NASH is estimated to be 1.5%-6.45% of the U.S. population, and prevalence of NASH among NAFLD patients to be 59.1% globally.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs in: Gastroenterology, hepatology, and endocrinology; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and those who otherwise have an interest in or commonly care for or clinically encounter patients with NAFLD.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Acromegaly is an endocrine disorder characterized by dysregulated hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH), usually caused by a GH-secreting, pituitary adenoma and leading to an overproduction of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Estimated at between 40 and 240 people per million, is not as high as other endocrine disorders, acromegaly has a significant impact on patient quality of life. Approximately 25 percent of people with acromegaly have elevated blood pressure, and 50 percent have evidence of insulin resistance, putting them at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in future. The mortality rates of acromegaly patients are three times higher than the general population, with most dying from respiratory or cardiac complications.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: endocrinologists and primary care providers; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who specialize in endocrinology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with acromegaly.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Gastric cancer (GC) accounts for over 26,000 new cases and 11,000 related deaths in the U.S. annually, and while malignancies of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction (GEJC) are associated with 19,000 and 15,000, respectively. GEJ tumors clinically more often resemble gastric than esophageal cancers, and GEJ cancers are often included in studies of GC. Adenocarcinomas represent more than 95% of gastric cancers and around 75% of esophageal cancers in the US. Staging of GC & GEJC depends on the tumor’s histopathology, location, and degree of spread, and 36% of patients in the U.S. are diagnosed in the advanced stages of the disease because the signs and symptoms are often initially clinically silent for most of the disease course, and missed opportunities for identification are not uncommon. The prognosis of GC & GEJC is poor: the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of GC is 32%, with the five-year OS rate of patients with advanced disease is six percent.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: Medical oncologists; physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists specializing in oncology; and any other clinicians involved or interested in the treatment of GC & GEJC.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Myelofibrosis (MF) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by fibrosis buildup in the bone marrow, inadequate hematopoiesis, and splenomegaly. MF is a rare form of cancer, with an incidence of about 0.4 per 100,000 person-years in the United States. MF is the most aggressive form of the Philadelphia-negative, BCR-ABL1 chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms, with a five-year mortality rate of 51%. In patients with other comorbidities at the time of or after diagnosis, such as diabetes, hypertension, pulmonary diseases, or obesity, even greater reductions in lifespan can be expected. It has a considerable effect on patient quality of life and is associated not only with feelings of fear, anger, and grief common of an oncologic diagnosis, but also a gradual loss of ability to perform activities of daily living and hobbies. MF imposes a significant financial burden through direct and indirect costs, and patients who are diagnosed at a younger age often become unemployed as the disease progresses.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: hematologists and oncologists in the community and academic settings; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in oncology; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with MF.