This year in the United States, over 210,000 women and 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 41,000 will die from the disease.1 The early diagnosis and management of breast cancer has decreased mortality rates significantly in recent decades, however, breast cancer continues to be the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States.1 Those who develop distant metastases are generally considered to be incurable, however treatment advances can prolong survival and improve quality of life in these patients.2 Combination chemotherapy is often utilized in patients with hormone receptor negative disease and in those with acquired resistance.2 Multiple clinical trials are underway comparing combination therapies and evaluating emerging targeted therapies to provide additional options for those suffering from advanced disease.
This educational series will provide the latest clinical trial information and treatment guidelines for the management of some of the more challenging and prevalent advanced cancer types, including head & neck, gastric, non-small-cell-lung, prostate, and breast cancer. This educational program is intended for community oncologists and oncology nurses in order to provide their patients with the best care available.
1. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2006. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2006.
2. Guarneri V, Conte PF. The curability of breast cancer and the treatment of advanced disease. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2004 June;31 Suppl 1:S149-S161.
Target Audience
This educational program is intended for community oncologists and oncology nurses.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of these activities participants should be able to:
- Assess the safety and efficacy of currently used chemotherapeutic regimens
- Evaluate the results of recent clinical trials and describe the schema for ongoing clinical trials
- Explore emerging treatment options for metastatic disease in some of the more challenging and prevalent types of advanced malignancies
- Discuss therapeutic decisions in a variety of case presentations in the treatment of solid metastatic tumors
- Recognize the difference between and importance of response rates, time to progression, and overall survival
The Potomac Center for Medical Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Potomac Center for Medical Education designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category I credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Physicians have the opportunity to earn up to 6.25 AMA PRA Category I credit(s)™ by completing this series.
Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc. (AJJ) is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Commission on Accreditation.
Educational design through the joint sponsorship of Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc. and Potomac Center for Medical Education.
Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc. designates this program for 1.25 CE contact hours. Participants should claim only those contact hours actually spent in the educational activity.
Howard A. (Skip) Burris, III, is currently serving as Chief Medical Officer and Director of Drug Development at The Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, TN, where he is also an Associate with Tennessee Oncology, PLLC. Dr. Burris received his medical degree from the University of South Alabama in 1985, and then performed his residency and fellowship in hematology/ oncology at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. While there, he served as Director of Clinical Research at the Institute for Drug Development of The Cancer Therapy and Research Center, and was an Associate Professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center.
His research interests have focused on developing investigational agents and phase I and II testing of these new compounds. His publications include, among others, work on the taxanes and the topoisomerase I inhibitors. He currently serves on the ASCO Board of Governors and is a member of the ASCO Ethics committee.
Stefan Glück, MD is a medical oncologist as well as a professor of medicine at the University of Miami School of Medicine's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center where he is also Associate Division Chief for Clinical Affairs, Division of Hematology/Oncology. As Clinical Director of the Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute Dr. Glück's current role is to oversee and provide leadership in all aspects of patient care and to co-direct Clinical and Translational research efforts within the institute.
Dr. Gluck holds a PhD in pharmacology and has spent many years as a clinical scientist running his own research lab and has an extensive background in clinical trials in breast cancer. Dr. Glück is internationally known for his work on breast cancer, head and neck cancer and bone marrow transplant. He completed his medical studies at the Free University in West Berlin, Germany, where he subsequently did an internship. The internship was followed by residency in internal medicine at the Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Germany, and a bone marrow transplant and medical oncology fellowship at the Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto in Canada.
Prior to his move to Miami, Dr. Glück was director of Southern Alberta Breast Cancer Program at the Tom Baker Cancer Center, and Professor with the Departments of Oncology, Medicine, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics at the University of Calgary in Alberta. He was also Deputy Head for the Department of Oncology at the University of Calgary, Canada.
Dr. Glück has authored and co-authored over 120 articles, written and co-written several book chapters as well as countless journal abstracts, and has presented over 300 papers at national and international meetings.
Joyce O'Shaughnessy, M.D. is a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer with Texas Oncology, PA, US Oncology at the Baylor-Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas. She is Co-Chair of Breast Cancer Research for the US Oncology clinical trials network which enrolls over 1400 patients annually onto breast cancer treatment and risk reduction trials, and Director of Cancer Prevention Research at Baylor Sammons Cancer Center. Dr. O'Shaughnessy evaluated clinical trial concepts and protocols during her 2 years at the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), NCI; delineated new cancer drug approval endpoints with NCI and CTEP while a Special Assistant to the NCI Director; and directed breast cancer prevention and treatment clinical trials in the NCI Medicine Branch. While at NCI she helped found the NCI-FDA Fellowship Training Program.
Dr. O'Shaughnessy graduated summa cum laude from Holy Cross College in 1978 and served on the Holy Cross College Board of Trustees from 1988 to 1996. She graduated cum laude from Yale University Medical School in 1982. Dr. O'Shaughnessy completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital followed by her fellowship in Medical Oncology at the National Cancer Institute.
Dr. O'Shaughnessy has served on the ASCO Scientific Program Committee and is currently a member of the ASCO Nominating Committee. She has participated as a member of NCI's Breast Cancer Program Progress Review committee.
Dr. O'Shaughnessy chaired the AACR Task Force on Treatment of Intraepithelial Neoplasia (IEN) which published clinical trial strategies to accelerate development of new agents for IEN, and serves as a member of AACR's Cancer Prevention Task Force. She currently serves as Program Director for the School of Breast Oncology.
Dr. O'Shaughnessy is Associate Editor of Clinical Breast Cancer and serves the Editorial Board of Clinical Cancer Research, and the Journal of Supportive Cancer Care. Her major areas of research interest are in developing new treatments for breast precancer and cancer.
Potomac Center for Medical Education (PCME) adheres to guidelines of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and all other professional organizations, as applicable, stating those activities where continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous.
All faculty in a position to control the content of a continuing medical education program sponsored by the Potomac Center for Medical Education are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. All conflicts are identified and resolved by PCME in advance of delivery of the activity to learners.
Howard Burris III, MD, FACP
Speaker:
- Amgen
- Novartis
- Genentech
- Sanofi-Aventis
Stefan Glück, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Speaker:
- Abraxis BioScience
- Amgen
- AstraZeneca
- Eli Lilly
- Genentech
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Merck
- Novartis
- Pfizer
- Roche
- Sanofi-Aventis
Joyce A. O'Shaughnessy, MD
No significant financial relationships to disclose.
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