Program Description

Sarcomas are an uncommon and complex family of cancers that are more prevalent in children than in adults. Soft tissue sarcomas are the most frequently occurring sarcomas, and the gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common mesenchymal form of soft tissue sarcoma occurring in the gastrointestinal tract. The treatment guidelines for sarcomas have evolved significantly due to the introduction of novel treatment options and screening mechanisms. It is critical for medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other health care professionals treating patients with sarcomas to keep abreast of the latest advances in the management of this type of cancer.

The past year has seen an improved outlook for patients with sarcomas, with the first positive results from a systemic agent in 20 years, a new systemic agent submitted for approval by the FDA, and clinical trials of additional prospective agents. Clinicians who treat patients with sarcoma need to be made aware of these advances in the management of sarcoma and incorporate these insights into their clinical practices, in order to optimize patient care.

Target Audience

This program is intended for medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, NPs, PAs, nurses, fellows, and other health care professionals who manage patients with sarcomas.

Educational Objectives

This program is designed to address the following IOM competencies: provide patient-centered care and employ evidence-based practice.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to demonstrate the ability to:

• Explain the diagnosis and classification of sarcomas and understand the timing for referral to a specialty center
• Utilize the updated NCCN clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of sarcoma and plan a multidisciplinary treatment approach for sarcoma
• Discuss ongoing trials in sarcoma and emerging data from novel treatment regimens for sarcoma

Accreditation

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the Potomac Center for Medical Education and Rockpointe. Potomac Center for Medical Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation Statement

 The Potomac Center for Medical Education designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category I credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For information about the accreditation of this program, please email contact@potomacme.org.

Disclosure Statement

Potomac Center for Medical Education (PCME) adheres to the policies and guidelines, including the Standards for Commercial Support, set forth to providers by 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 persons 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 to PCME as well as to learners. All conflicts are identified and resolved by PCME in accordance with the Standards for Commercial Support in advance of delivery of the activity to learners.

The content of this activity was vetted by an external medical reviewer to assure objectivity and that the activity is free of commercial bias.

The faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships that they or their spouse/partner have with commercial interests:

George D. Demetri, MD: Consultant: Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Ariad, Johnson & Johnson, Genentech/Roche, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, ZioPharm, Merck, Amgen, Daiichi-Sankyo, ArQule; Research: Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Ariad, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Daiichi-Sankyo, SARC; Advisory Board: ZioPharm

Raphael E. Pollock, MD, PhD, FACS: Nothing to Disclose

Alexander Lazar, MD, PhD: Speaker: Novartis; Spouse Employed by General Electric

Non-faculty content contributors and/or reviewers reported the following relevant financial relationships that they or their spouse/partner have with commercial interests:

Latha Shivakumar, PhD; Bradley Pine; Blair St. Amand; Jay Katz; Dana Simpler, MD: Nothing to Disclose

FDA Disclosure

The contents of some CME/CE activities may contain discussions of non-approved or off-label uses of some agents mentioned. Please consult the prescribing information for full disclosure of approved uses.

System Requirements

In order to view this presentation, your computer must have audio capabilities (working speakers or headphones) and must have an Adobe Flash Player. The Adobe Flash Player can be downloaded here.

Instructions for Participants and Obtaining CME Credit

There is no fee for this activity. To receive credit, participants must take the pre-test, view this CME activity in its entirety, and then complete the post-test and evaluation. To complete the evaluation online, choose the best answer to each question. The estimated time for completion of this activity is 1.0 hour. To receive and print their certificates, participants must demonstrate mastery of the presented material via the post-test.

This activity is jointly sponsored by and .

Supported by an independent educational grant from