Hematology CME

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare blood disorder that impacts three in a million adults per year, with congenital or hereditary TTP (cTTP, also known as Upshaw-Schulman syndrome) accounting for a third of the overall incidence. The incidence of TTP rises with increasing age and the mortality rate of untreated TTP may be as high as 90%.

In recent years molecular mechanisms contributing to TTP have been identified: patients diagnosed with TTP have larger von Willebrand factor molecules (vWF) and a defective protease enzyme of A Disintegrinlike And Metalloprotease with ThromboSpondin type 1 motif 13 (ADAMTS13), which cleaves larger vWF molecules and inhibits platelet adhesion. In congenital or hereditary TTP (cTTP, also known as Upshaw-Schulman syndrome), the gene that codes of ADAMTS13 is defective and cannot properly produce the enzyme, whereas in acquired TTP, antibody production leads to downstream enzymatic deactivation.

Target Audience:
The following healthcare professionals: hematologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in hematology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with cTTP.

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

• Summarize the most impactful findings presented at the ASH 2019 annual meeting relating to congenital TTP
• Recall the pathophysiology of congenital TTP
• Describe the clinical manifestations and methods of establishing a diagnosis of cTTP, and apply that information to a patient case
• List treatment strategies for cTTP, and apply that information to a patient case

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 in all geographic regions, populations, and ethnic groups,affecting approximately 1 out of every 30,000 male births. The condition is diagnosed by measuring FIX activity, and patients with severe hemophilia have levels of 1% or less.

Patients with severe hemophilia B are at risk for spontaneous, life-threatening bleeding episodes. Untreated, the life expectancy is approximately 20 years,and painful or even life-threatening morbidities include intracranial hemorrhage, severe bleeding in other organ systems, musculoskeletal injury, and joint injury. In contrast, in people with moderate or mild hemophilia, abnormal bleeding usually occurs after minor trauma or surgery.

Physical therapy can ease symptoms if internal bleeding has damaged a patient’s joints, and surgery may be necessary if internal bleeding has caused severe damage. However, the current standard of therapy for hemophilia B is intravenous infusion of therapeutic factor concentrates. Through the reduction in the number of bleeding incidences and improvement in quality of life, factor replacement therapy has significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality of hemophilia. Furthermore, prophylactic therapy has the demonstrated benefit of reducing the development of hemophilic arthropathy.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: hematology, primary care physicians, and pediatricians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in hematology as well as other Hemophilia Treatment Center HCPs; and any other clinicians with an interest in hemophilia B.

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

• Describe the risk factors and occurrence of hemophilia B.
• Identify available prophylactic and treatment options for hemophilia B and apply them to a patient case.
• Identify the new treatment options for hemophilia B.
• Identify adherence barriers in and deliver effective treatment counseling to patients with hemophilia B.

Hemophilia is a genetic disease caused by mutation of one of the genes for coagulation proteins leading to dangerous, uncontrolled bleeding. In hemophilia A, a mutation in the gene for factor VIII (FVIII) leads to an endogenous deficiency in the clotting factor. The incidence of hemophilia A is the same in all geographic regions, populations, and ethnic groups, affecting approximately 1 out of every 5000 male births. The condition is diagnosed by measuring FVIII activity, and patients with severe hemophilia have FVIII activity of 1% or less. Patients with severe hemophilia A are at risk for spontaneous, life-threatening bleeding episodes. Untreated, the life expectancy is approximately 20 years, and painful or even life-threatening morbidities include intracranial hemorrhage, severe bleeding in other organ systems, musculoskeletal injury, and joint injury. In contrast, in people with moderate or mild hemophilia, abnormal bleeding usually occurs after minor trauma or surgery.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: hematology, primary care physicians, and pediatricians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in hematology as well as other Hemophilia Treatment Center HCPs; and any other clinicians with an interest in hemophilia A.

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

• Describe the risk factors and occurrence of hemophilia A.
• Identify available prophylactic and treatment options for hemophilia A and apply them to a patient case.
• Identify the new treatment options for hemophilia A.
• Identify adherence barriers in and deliver effective treatment counseling to patients with hemophilia A.

Some recent topics include:
• Cancer Screening in the United States, 2013
• Risk Factors, Pathophysiology, and Treatment of Hot Flashes in Cancer
• American Cancer Society Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines
• The Role of Human Papillomavirus in Nongenital Cancers
• Hypnosis for Cancer Care: Over 200 Years Young
• The Current Status of Robotic Oncologic Surgery
• Oral Complications of Cancer and Cancer Therapy: From Cancer Treatment to Survivorship
• Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Systems in Oncology Clinical Practice
• Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors

Target Audience: Oncologists

There is currently one webcast that offers CME credits:
Online Webcast – Transanal Colo-Rectal Endoscopic Surgery (TACRES) Ta TME in Rectal Cancer by Cecil Approach

Target Audience: Physicians specializing in Hematology/Oncology.

About 40 text-based or case-based-interactive activities concerned with aspects of cancer.

All of these categories offer CME credit: Conference Coverage, Journal Options, Management Series, Treatment Updates, Annual Updates and Interactive Cases.

Not all activities offer CME; look for the term, “CME-certified”.

Target Audience: Oncologists

CME Zone offers various courses in many specialties offering CME Credits. The courses are quick and easy to complete.

Target Audiences: General Surgeons, Oncologists, Various Specialties

Only the webcasts offer CME credit. Of these, 13 are in Oncology; other areas are Hematology (7) and Gastroenterology (6). Many of the webcasts offer multiple modules.

Target Audiences:
Physicians specializing in Hematology, Oncology, or Gastroenterology.

CME activities of special interest to hematologists and oncologists. Medscape contains a variety of educational formats:

CONFERENCE COVERAGE – Reports of advances presented at major medical conferences; typically includes several tracks with news stories, expert interviews, and in-depth topic overviews.

CLINICAL UPDATE – Comprehensive original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.

FAST TRACK CLINICAL UPDATE – Narrowly focused original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.

CME-LIVE – Real-time online events with streaming video, synchronized visuals, and interactive questions and answers; archived for 1 year.

CLINICAL BRIEFS – Daily reports of major current medical research articles; 0.25 credits each

JOURNAL CME – Articles selected from a wide selection of peer-reviewed journals.
SPECIAL REPORT CME – Topic-based monthly email newsletter distributed to Medscape’s professional member database by specialty.

INTERACTIVE PATIENT CASES – Original CME activity presented to the physician in an interactive, clinical case-based format. (See especially eMedicine CME Case Presentations.)
CME CIRCLE – Multimedia content certified by other accredited professional education providers, typically from live symposia or monographs, and then posted on Medscape and archived for one year.

Target Audience: Hematologists and Oncologists

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine offers various up to date CME activities that offer CME credits.

Topics include:
Neuro-oncology, Cardiovascular Health, Echocardiographic Assessment, and many more.

Target Audience: Various Specialties