Oncology CME

Activity Description / Statement of Need:
In this online, self-learning activity:

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a diverse group of hematologic cancers in which B-cells accumulate in the blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic tissue, constituting as absolute lymphocytosis of mature-appearing lymphocytes with an appropriate immunophenotype. Elderly patients comprise the vast majority of those diagnosed with CLL with a median patient age of 71 years. Men have close to twice the risk of women of developing CLL, and there are over 20,000 cases per year, with an annual mortality rate in excess of 4,400.

Target Audience:
HCPs including: Medical oncologists and hematologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in oncology; and other healthcare professionals who commonly encounter patients with CLL.

Each year, more than 290,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed, making it the leading cause of cancer among females in the United States. Although earlier screening and more effective treatment options have improved outcomes among people with breast cancer, more than 43,000 people die from this type of cancer each year. Throughout the course of breast cancer management, bone health remains an important consideration. In early breast cancer, chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure and endocrine therapy can contribute to BMD loss and subsequent osteoporosis and fracture. In advanced breast cancer, about 70% of all patients will experience bone metastases, placing patients at risk for SREs. In fact, breast cancer is associated with the highest risk of SREs among all tumor types.

Maintaining bone health in patients with breast cancer requires routine monitoring and proactive management to minimize the risk of BMD loss, osteoporosis, and SREs. Guidelines therefore recommend that patients with non-metastatic breast cancer initiating aromatase inhibitors or other treatment that causes bone loss undergo dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans to assess baseline BMD. Furthermore, patients at risk for osteoporosis should receive regular follow-up DXA scans to monitor for BMD loss. This represents an opportunity for ongoing education about the need for monitoring to ensure maintenance of optimal bone health.

Each year, over 268,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed. Although early prostate cancer may be cured with surgery or radiation therapy, more than 50% of men will experience recurrence after definitive treatment. New treatment options for advanced prostate cancer have further improved survival and increased the number of patients living with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). But despite the established improvements in survival, a cornerstone of treatment, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), has been associated with well-characterized negative effects on bone health like skeletal-related events (SREs) and bone metastases. These complications the primary drivers of morbidity and mortality among people with CRPC. Maintaining bone health in patients with CRPC requires routine monitoring and proactive management. Bone mineral density (BMD) loss places men with CRPC at elevated risk for osteoporosis and future fractures.

This video activity focuses on ways to help early detection of breast cancer by learning the risk factors, the different screening and diagnostic modalities and guidelines to what kind of screening is needed, and most importantly, when should screening begin.

From October to December, 2022, 50% of the proceeds from this course will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Despite the advances in breast cancer detection and treatment, on the psychological side, clinicians who have been involved in the emotional care of cancer patients can report that a breast cancer diagnosis can nevertheless generate many concerns for patients, as well as their families. Psychological interventions for breast cancer patients have well-documented success in reducing distress and enhancing psychosocial adaptation to disease. As such, these interventions have been highlighted as important mechanisms by which physical health can be improved. This activity focuses on the common issues that impact psychological adjustment to breast cancer and interventions that will help optimize care in the cancer context.

There is a growing prevalence of breast cancer among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15 to 39 years old, and people of color (POCs). Breast cancer tends to present as more advance and aggressive forms in both of these demographics and is unfortunately associated with higher mortality rates than other populations in whom mortality rates have been decreasing over the last few decades.

This activity highlights the current trends, challenges, and health disparities experienced by AYAs and POCs with breast cancer, and provides insight into possible ways of improving screening and overall management of these patients.

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:

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:

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a relatively rare, aggressive cancer that most commonly affects the pleural space (81%) in cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), followed by the peritoneum (9%). Over 80% of MPM patients and 33% of patients with peritoneal MM have a documented prior exposure to asbestos or related minerals. It is thought that the inhaled asbestos fibers interact with mesothelial and inflammatory cells, leading to repeatedly prolonged cell cycles and direct DNA damage. There are three distinct histologic subtypes of MPM, but determining subtypes requires expert assessment and suitable biopsies that are not always available, which may lead to delays in the start of treatment.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: Medical oncologists and pulmonologists; physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists specializing in oncology; and other clinicians who are involved in providing diagnostic and therapeutic services for patients with malignant mesothelioma.