Free Pharmacist CPE

In this online, self-learning activity:

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, with more than 236,000 new cases diagnosed and over 124,000 deaths annually. The most common type of lung cancer, non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accounts for about 85% of cases and has seen steady declines in mortality over the past several years as improvements have been made in diagnosis, staging, and treatment. In contrast, outcomes for the less prevalent small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which is neuroendocrine in nature and accounts for about 14% of all lung cancer cases, have remained poor in recent years despite improvement in those for NSCLC.

Understanding pharmacologic management of disease is a crucial aspect of providing high-quality medical care. Our courses offer practical guidance on pharmacologic management of disease processes to avoid potentially negative interactions between substances. Choose from a variety of free pharmacology CME/CE courses to improve care for your patients. Earn credits at no cost today.

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Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare form of head and neck cancer, with 133,000-176,000 new cases diagnosed worldwide each year. Although relatively uncommon in the United States with an age-standardized incidence rate of 0.41 per 100,000 population, NPC is endemic to certain geographic regions, such as southern China, Southeast Asia, and North Africa. Several risk factors for NPC have been identified, including consumption of salted fish, alcohol use, wood dust exposure, and plasma Epstein–Barr virus positivity.

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Since the discovery and development of vaccines, historical leaps have been made on public health, contributing to longevity and reduced burden of infectious diseases. Ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Expanded Program on Immunization in 1974, 154 million deaths from smallpox, tuberculosis, measles, and other infectious diseases have been avoided, especially in children under the age of 5. Between 2000 to 2019, immunization has expanded its reach in infectious targets and helped prevent about 37 million deaths from 10 vaccine-preventable deaths. Despite vaccines being a cost-effective method for reducing severe consequences of infection and high-cost treatments, vaccination rates have been decreasing amongst the general public, failing to meet national and global goals. The cause is multi-factorial and complex, requiring understanding in human behavior, internal biases, and external circumstances to explore how an individual navigates the process of deciding whether or not to be vaccinated.

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Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), affecting over 40% of patients with lupus. It is a major contributor to morbidity, healthcare utilization, and progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The prevalence of LN has increased significantly over time, from 16.8 per 100,000 in 1985 to 21.2 per 100,000 more recently. The mortality rate associated with LN remains high with a standardized mortality ratio of 6.33 compared to the general population. Despite increased advances in treatments, long-term survival rates have not improved significantly over the past four decades. The 10-year survival rate is around 70%, while the incidence of progression in ESRD in LN patients affects up to 13% of patients over time.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Hemophilia is a genetic disease caused by mutation of one of the genes for coagulation proteins leading to dangerous, uncontrolled bleeding. In hemophilia B, a mutation in the gene for factor IX (FIX) leads to an endogenous deficiency in the clotting factor. The incidence of hemophilia B is the same across race and ethnic groups, affecting approximately 1 out of every 30,000 male births.

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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disease in which leukemic cells accumulate in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic tissue. Elderly patients comprise the vast majority of those diagnosed with CLL with a mean patient age of 72 years. There are over 23,000 cases in the U.S. per year, with an annual mortality rate in excess of 4,400. CLL may have an indolent disease course and go undetected for some time. Patients may present clinically with a range of constitutional symptoms usually range from lymphadenopathy (the most common), night sweats, weight loss, weakness, and fever. Staging systems take into account a variety of factors, including lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and the presence and severity of cytopenias, while a patient’s prognosis is impacted by cytogenetic abnormalities and earlier progression of disease. Both the presentation and progression of CLL vary between patients, although patients with very-high-risk disease have a median survival of 19 months and a five-year overall survival of less than 24%.