Community Practice Connections™: Employing Effective Strategies to Address Posttransplant Obstacles in the Clinic: A Focus on GVHD and Hepatic VOD

Release Date: November 27, 2019
Expiration Date: November 27, 2020
Media: Internet - based

Activity Overview

Graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) is a common complication that presents following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The ability to diagnose GvHD in a timely manner or even predict GvHD before clinical manifestations, along with the accurate stratification of patients with GvHD, are critical for improving the treatment outcomes of these patients. Expanding knowledge of pathophysiology of GvHD has helped identify new targets, which, in turn, has led to the development of several novel investigational therapies that are showing promising efficacy in both up-front and steroid-refractory settings.

Veno-occlusive disease (VOD), a grave and potentially fatal complication of HCT, is induced by treatment regimens such as radiation and high-dose chemotherapy. VOD has key features that are distinct from those of hepatic GvHD.

As clinical options continue to emerge and evolve, clinicians must keep up-to-date on the cutting-edge data that continue to shape the best options for care in these patient populations. This activity will update practitioners on advances in the medical management of posttransplant obstacles such as GvHD and hepatic VOD.

Benefits of Participating

At the conclusion of this continuing medical education (CME) activity, you should be better prepared to:

• Assess the pathogenesis of GvHD and VOD and the guidelines to assess, stage, and manage patients with these conditions
• Outline preventive strategies to deter the development of GvHD and VOD in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
• Discuss novel biomarkers that can facilitate the identification of GvHD and VOD and the probability of treatment response
• Evaluate the clinical benefits and safety of novel and emerging agents and regimens to decrease risk, as well as to treat GvHD and VOD

Acknowledgement of Commercial Support

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Target Audience

This educational program is primarily directed toward community oncologists and hematologists who treat patients with hematologic malignancies. Additionally, fellows, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of hematologic malignancies are invited to participate in the activity.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this educational activity, you should be better prepared to:

• Summarize GvHD pathogenesis and diagnosis, as well as hepatic VOD diagnostic criteria, to facilitate its identification and management
• Review current prophylactic and treatment regimens for GvHD and hepatic VOD
• Describe current evidence regarding emerging therapies in the treatment of GvHD and hepatic VOD
• Identify and manage treatment-related toxicities associated with GvHD and hepatic VOD treatment strategies

Faculty, Staff, and Planners’ Disclosures

Faculty

Corey Cutler, MD, MPH, FRCPC
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Director of Clinical Research, Stem Cell Transplantation
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA

Disclosures: Consultant: Fate Therapeutics, Incyte, Kadmon, Pharmacyclics.

Sergio Giralt, MD
Chief, Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service
Melvin Berlin Family Chair in Multiple Myeloma
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

Disclosures: Grant/ Research Support: Celgene, Amgen, Takeda, Johnson & Johnson, Miltenyi Biotech. Consultant: Celgene, Amgen, Takeda, Johnson & Johnson, Miltenyi Biotech, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Kite, Sanofi, Novartis, Actinium Pharmaceuticals.

The staff of Physicians' Education Resource^®, LLC (PER^®) have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Disclosure Policy and Resolution of Conflicts of Interest (COI)

As a sponsor accredited by the ACCME, PER^® makes it a policy to ensure fair balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all its CME/CE activities. In compliance with ACCME guidelines, PER^® requires everyone who is in a position to control the content of a CME/CE activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. The ACCME defines relevant financial relationships as financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that create a COI.

Additionally, PER^® is required by ACCME to resolve all COI. PER^® has identified and resolved all COI prior to the start of this activity by using a multistep process.

Off-Label Disclosure and Disclaimer

This CME/CE activity may or may not discuss investigational, unapproved, or off-label use of drugs. Participants are advised to consult prescribing information for any products discussed. The information provided in this CME/CE activity is for continuing medical and nursing education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent clinical judgment of a physician and nurse relative to diagnostic or treatment options for a specific patient’s medical condition.

The opinions expressed in the content are solely those of the individual faculty members and do not reflect those of PER^® or the company that provided commercial support.