There are approximately 22,000 new cases and 12,000 deaths in the US from gastric cancer each year.1 Although the incidence of gastric cancer is decreasing in the United States, it remains the second leading cause of cancer death around the world.2 Advances have been made in recent decades in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer, but overall patient prognosis is still poor. Certain combination chemotherapy regimens have shown overall survival benefits and research continues into other options such as targeted therapies. This educational program will review the most current clinical trial data and provide an overview of current and future treatment options in this challenging 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. Ajani JA. Chemotherapy for advanced gastric or gastroesophageal cancer: defining the contributions of docetaxel. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2006 August;7(12):1627-31.
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:
- Review the epidemiology of advanced gastric cancer, including prevalence and survival statistics
- Assess the safety and efficacy of currently-used chemotherapeutic regimens in advanced gastric cancer
- Evaluate the results of recent clinical trials and describe the schema for ongoing clinical trials
- Explore emerging treatment options including targeted therapy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer
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.
Charles S. Fuchs, MD, MPH, FACP is director of the Gastrointestinal Malignancies Program for the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center in Boston, MA. He also serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fuchs received his medical doctorate in 1986 and his master's in public health in 1993 from Harvard University, followed by postgraduate training in internal medicine and adult oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and Brigham and Women's Hospital, both in Boston, MA. Since joining DFCI in 1991, he has been involved in epidemiologic and treatment-based research in gastrointestinal cancers.
Peter C. Enzinger, MD, is the Clinical Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Enzinger received his undergraduate degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and his medical degree from the Brown University Medical School. He completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Enzinger also completed a Fogarty Fellowship in Experimental Cell Biology at Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Hematopoetique, Hopital St. Louis and Universite Paris VII, and a fellowship in Medical Oncology and Hematology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City.
Dr. Enzinger is the principal investigator on numerous clinical trials for the treatment of gastric, esophageal, colon, and other solid tumor malignancies. He has published several original articles and numerous reviews in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Cancer, and Seminars of Oncology. Dr. Enzinger serves as the Associate Editor - Oncology for the journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences and is also an ad hoc reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine, Cancer Investigation, Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, and Clinical Advances in Hematology and Oncology. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Physicians, Cancer and Leukemia Group B, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Enzinger has given numerous lectures at regional and national grand rounds, symposia, and conferences.
John S. Macdonald, MD, is the Medical Director and Chief of Gastrointestinal Oncology at St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City. Board certified in internal medicine and oncology, Dr. Macdonald has been at St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center since 1997. In addition to his responsibilities at the Center, Dr. Macdonald is Chief of Medical Oncology at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center, and is Professor of Medicine at the New York Medical College.
Dr. Macdonald was named to an endowed professorship, the Lynn Wood Neag Distinguished Professor of Gastrointestinal Oncology, in 1999. He is recognized as a leading educator in Medical Oncology and has received numerous forms of recognition for his skills in medical education including being honored as Outstanding Clinical Attending Physician by the Department of Medicine at Georgetown University in 1977 and serving as a member of the Medical Oncology Section of the American Board of Internal Medicine from 1987 to 1993.
A leader in his field and a specialist in gastrointestinal cancer, Dr. Macdonald has authored numerous articles and has been published in many medical journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Cancer; Recent Results in Cancer Research; Advances in Medical Oncology, Research, and Education; and Medscape Hematology-Oncology. In addition to his writing he has served as editor of multiple journals including Cancer Treatment Reports, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Manual of Oncologic Therapeutics.
Dr. Macdonald is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American College of Physicians, American Association for Cancer Research and American Society of Clinical Oncology. He currently serves as a board member for Your Patient and Cancer; and Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology. He has published over 300 papers, chapters and presentations combined.
Dr. Macdonald received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He then went on to complete an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, and was awarded a fellowship in oncology at the National Cancer Institute. He was awarded an American Cancer Society Junior Faculty Fellowship.
Dr. Macdonald has received numerous awards and distinctions including being named in the Best Doctors in America listing in Good Housekeeping's "Best 300 Doctors in America." He has been named one of New York Magazine's "Best Doctors in New York" over the last seven years.
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.
Charles S. Fuchs, MD, MPH, FACP
Speaker:
- Genentech
- Pfizer
- Sanofi-Aventis
Peter C. Enzinger, MD
Consultant:
- Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Genentech
- Pfizer
- Roche
- Sanofi-Aventis
John S. Macdonald, MD
Speaker:
- Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Sanofi-Aventis
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