Lung cancer accounts for more than 150,000 deaths in the United States each year, and non-small-cell-lung cancer (NSCLC) represents 70-80% of all cases diagnosed.1 Treatment improvements in advanced NSCLC could have major impact not only on the individual patient, but in all of public health. Unfortunately, most patients don't present with curative, early-stage disease; most are advanced at diagnosis and can present a clinical challenge for their providers.2,3 Historically patients with advanced stage lung cancer were treated with best supportive care and expected survival was approximately 5 months.2,3 The development of combination regimens has more than doubled this median survival in some cases and has been shown to improve quality of life.2,4 There is clearly much work still to be done, and clinical trials and research are ongoing to identify the best combination regimens, explore more targeted treatment options, and explore gene therapy.
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. Thomas CR, Williams T, Cobos E, Turrisi A. Lung Cancer. In: Lenhard R, Osteen R, Gansler T, editors. Clinical Oncology.Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2002. p. 269-95.
2. Rigas JR. Taxane-platinum combinations in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a review. Oncologist 2004;9 Suppl 2:16-23.
3. Roszkowski K, Pluzanska A, Krzakowski M et al. A multicenter, randomized, phase III study of docetaxel plus best supportive care versus best supportive care in chemotherapy-naive patients with metastatic or non-resectable localized non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Lung Cancer 2000 March;27(3):145-57.
4. Khuri FR. Docetaxel for locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Current data and future directions as front-line therapy. Oncology (Williston Park) 2002 June;16(6 Suppl 6):53-62.
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
- Discuss the rationale for first-line treatment options in advanced NSCLC, specifically looking at clinical trial results
- Describe results from recent late breaking trials presented at ASCO 2007
- Illustrate therapeutic decisions for both first-line and salvage therapy in advanced NSCLC through a case presentation
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.
Dr. Howard West is a medical oncologist and Director of Medical Therapeutics for Thoracic Oncology at the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle, Washington.
Dr. West received an M. Phil. in Experimental Biology from Cambridge University on a Fulbright Scholarship before returning to the US to undertake his medical training at Harvard Medical School in Boston, where he earned his MD magna cum laude and conducted research as a Howard Hughes Medical Student Fellow. He stayed in Boston for his internship and residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, then moved to Seattle, Washington for his fellowship in medical oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/University of Washington. He moved to the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle in late 2002, where he directs the medical oncology component of thoracic oncology program.
Dr. West maintains a strong clinical research focus on lung cancer; he currently serves as the principal investigator on several clinical trials of chemotherapy and novel agents and has authored numerous peer-reviewed as well as invited publications. He has been actively involved with the SWOG Lung Cancer Committee on multiple recent and ongoing protocols, and he leads several investigator-initiated trials at his own institution. In addition to his work in lung cancer, he maintains a significant interest in clinical research in prostate cancer.
James R. Rigas, M.D. is the Medical Director for the Comprehensive Thoracic Oncology Program at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire where he holds clinical and academic appointments as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School. Dr. Rigas received his Bachelor of Science from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, and his Doctorate of Medicine from The Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He completed his training in Internal Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, New Hampshire and his Medical Oncology training at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. His main clinical research interest is in thoracic oncology. As an Attending Physician in both Thoracic Oncology and Developmental Chemotherapy Services at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, Dr. Rigas has had extensive experience in the development of chemotherapy programs for the treatment of lung cancer. In 1993, the American Cancer Society honored Dr. Rigas with a Career Development Award.
Edward S. Kim, MD is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. He also serves as Director of Educational Programs and Director of Residency, Training in Oncology, in the Division of Cancer Medicine at M.D. Anderson. Dr. Kim received his bachelor's from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and his medical doctorate from Northwestern University's School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. He then completed his internship at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX and his residency and fellowship in oncology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Kim is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Texas Medical Society, the Harris County Medical Society, and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. He has published extensively on various cancers and cancer treatments in journals such as Current Opinion in Oncology, Lung Cancer, and Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research.
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 West, MD
Consultant:
- AstraZeneca
- Eli Lilly
- Genentech
- Sanofi-Aventis
Speaker:
- Genentech
James R. Rigas, MD
Grant/Research Support:
To the trustees of Dartmouth College from:
- Abbott
- Amgen
- Cell Therapeutics
- Esai Pharmaceuticals
- EMD Pharmaceuticals
- Genentech
- GlaxoSmithKline
- ImClone
- Ligand
- Merck
- Novacea
- Novartis
- Novelos Therapeutics
- OrthoBiotech
- OSI Pharmaceuticals
- Pfizer
- Roche
- Sanofi-Aventis
Consultant:
- Adler Pharmaceuticals
- Amgen
- Bayer
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Ligand
- Sanofi-Aventis
Edward S. Kim, MD
No significant financial relationships to disclose.
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