Program Description:
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication of cancer, with reported rates in cancer patients ranging from 4% to 20%. Cancer alone elevates the risk of thrombosis 4-fold; chemotherapy increases the risk 6.5-fold. Other factors—including surgery, site of the cancer, supportive care agents, body mass index, and biomarkers such as platelet count, leukocyte count, and tissue factor—may all play a role in a patient’s risk for VTE. In addition to being a major cause of morbidity in cancer patients, VTE is a leading cause of mortality; the presence of VTE in patients with cancer increases the likelihood of death by 2- to 8-fold. Given the high mortality rate for VTE in cancer patients, it is imperative that all health care professionals be familiar with the latest guidelines and tools for timely risk assessment, prevention, and treatment of VTE.
Activity Objectives:
After taking part in this educational activity, participants should be able to:
- Describe the pathogenesis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with cancer
- Identify risk factors for VTE in patients with cancer and appropriately select patients for prophylaxis
- Apply the latest VTE guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in selecting anticoagulant therapy for patients with cancer
- Compare and contrast the risks and benefits of antithrombotic agents used in the prevention and treatment of VTE in oncology patients
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Credits
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Type
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Accreditation Statement
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Designation Statement
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1.75
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AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM
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Boston University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
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Boston University School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
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Faculty:
PROGRAM CHAIR
Gary H. Lyman, MD, MPH, FRCP(Edin), FACP
Professor of Medicine
Director, Health Services and Outcomes Research Program—Oncology
Duke university
Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center
Durham, North Carolina
FACULTY
Alok A. Khorana, MD, FACP
Vice-Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Associate Professor of Medicine and Oncology
James P. Wilmot Cancer Center
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York
Michael M. Millenson, MD, FACP
Director, Hematology Service
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
COURSE DIRECTOR
Lewis R. Weintraub, MD
Professor of Medicine
Section of Hematology and Oncology
Boston University School of Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts
Disclosures:
Boston University School of Medicine asks all individuals involved in the development and presentation of continuing medical education (CME) activities to disclose all relationships with commercial interests. This information is disclosed to CME activity participants. Boston University School of Medicine has procedures to resolve any apparent conflicts of interest. In addition, faculty members are asked to disclose when any unapproved use of pharmaceuticals and/or devices is being discussed.
Elizabeth Gifford, Boston University School of Medicine, CME, has no conflict of interest to report.
Alok A. Khorana, MD, FACP, receives grant/research support from Bristol-Myers Squibb and is on the speakers’ bureaus of sanofi-aventis and Eisai.
Gary H. Lyman, MD, MPH, FRCP (Edin), FACP, has no conflict of interest to report. As chairman of ASCO’s Venous Thromboembolism Guidelines Panel, he has declined an honorarium for participation in this program.
Michael Millenson, MD, FACP, is a member of the speakers’ bureau of GlaxoSmithKline and is the spouse of an employee of sanofi-aventis.
Marilyn Stearns, MD, Haymarket Medical Education, has no conflict of interest to report.
Lewis R. Weintraub, MD, has no conflict of interest to report.
DISCLAIMER
THESE MATERIALS AND ALL OTHER MATERIALS PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES ARE INTENDED SOLELY FOR PURPOSES OF SUPPLEMENTING CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR QUALIFIED HEALTH-CARE PROFESSIONALS. ANYONE USING THE MATERIALS ASSUMES FULL RESPONSIBILITY AND ALL RISK FOR THEIR APPROPRIATE USE. TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS WHATSOEVER REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENTNESS, NONINFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OF THE MATERIALS. IN NO EVENT WILL TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN IN RELIANCE ON THE MATERIALS. IN NO EVENT SHOULD THE INFORMATION IN THE MATERIALS BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE.
This program is sponsored by Boston University School of Medicine.
This program is supported by an educational grant from Eisai Inc.
If you wish to contact Boston University School of Medicine, please email cme@bu.edu, or visit the website, http://www.bu.edu/cme. To view the privacy policy of Boston University School of Medicine, please visit http://www.bu.edu/cme/policies/privacy_policy.html
Instructions:
To obtain credit, a score of 70% or better is required. This CME is offered at no cost to participants. Please proceed with the activity until you have successfully completed this program, answered all test questions, completed the posttest survey, and have received your digital copy of your credit certificate. Your online certificate will be saved on myCME.com within your Profile/Exam History, which you can then access at any time.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
WINDOWS PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
266-MHz Pentium II; Windows 98 or higher; 64 MB RAM; 800 x 600 screen resolution
set for “High Color (16-Bit)”; Macromedia Flash Player 6 or higher.
MACINTOSH® SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Power Mac g3 at 300 MHz; System 8.5 or higher (excluding Mac OSX); 96 MB RAM; 20
MB minimum hard disk space available; 800 x 600 screen resolution set to “Thousands
of Colors”; Macromedia Flash Player 6 or higher.