Bacterial Infections in Patients with Cancer

Educational Overview

The management of serious bacterial infections in patients with malignancy is becoming particularly challenging in the light of increasing antimicrobial resistance among key pathogens and limited therapeutic options. Oncologists must take a proactive role in ensuring early identification of infection in high-risk patients with cancer followed by urgent treatment. This educational activity is designed to enhance the awareness and knowledge of the latest advancements and clinical findings, as well as offer a broad understanding of current and emerging therapeutic options when treating serious bacterial infections.

This program is divided into three learning blocks that focus on key pathogens: (1) Gram-positive bacteria (e.g., S. aureus, MRSA, enterococci), (2) Gram-negative bacteria (e.g., ESBL- and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, P. aeruginosa), and (3) C. difficile. Current trends in the evolving epidemiology of infection in patients with cancer are discussed. Management approaches will focus on effective treatment strategies for infections caused by MDR bacteria.

Target Audience

This continuing medical education activity is designed for physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals who care for patients with or at-risk of serious bacterial infections, including patients being treated for malignancy and/or with neutropenic fever.

Learning Objectives

Upon completing this activity, learners will be able to:

Discuss the evolving epidemiology of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial infections in patients with cancer
Assess patient risk and local epidemiological factors when selecting antimicrobial therapy for bacterial infection in patients with neutropenic fever
Implement evidence-based guideline approaches in the management of C. difficile infection in patients with cancer

Release Date: Friday, June 13, 2014

Expiration Date: Saturday June, 13, 2015

Educational Format

These Online Presentations are based on the CME Ancillary Educational Event held adjunct to ASCO Annual Meeting. Please note that if you received credit for attending the live meeting, you are not eligible to receive credit for the online version.

EPISODE 1:
C. difficile Infection: Minimizing the Impact
Erik R. Dubberke, MD, MSPH

EPISODE 2:
Gram-Positive Bacteria:
New Approaches to an Old Problem
Kenneth V. Rolston, MD

EPISODE 3:
Gram-Negative Bacteria:
Emerging Pathogens and Global Public Health Threat
Thomas J. Walsh, MD, PhD (hon), FCCP, FAAM, FIDSA

Update Notes for the Learner

As new data on emerging therapies and management guidelines become available during the duration of this online activity, we will provide the new and current information in this section.

Faculty

	Thomas J. Walsh, MD, PhD (hon), FCCP, FAAM, FIDSA Director, Transplantation-Oncology Infectious Diseases Program Chief, Infectious Diseases Translational Research Laboratory Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Microbiology & Immunology Weill Cornell Medical Center New York, NY

	Kenneth V. Rolston, MD Clinical Professor, Infectious Diseases The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX

	Erik R. Dubberke, MD, MSPH Associate Professor of Medicine Director, Section of Transplant Infectious Diseases Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, MO

ACCREDITATION
Physicians
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 Center for Independent Healthcare Education and Vemco MedEd, LLC. Center for Independent Healthcare Education (Center) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Center for Independent Healthcare Education designates this Enduring material for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For questions regarding accreditation, please contact info@jointsponsor.com

International CME
International Physicians are formally eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Physician Assistants
AAPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™for the PRA from organizations accredited by ACCME.

Nurse Practitioners
Nurse Practitioners will receive certificate of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ as this is an ACCME accredited program and its accreditation is recognized by Nurse Practitioner boards.

Pharmacists
Center for Independent Healthcare Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Center has assigned 2.0 contact hours (0.2 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy education credits for participating in this activity.

ACPE UAN: 0473-9999-14-004-H01-P
Activity type: Knowledge-based

Method of Participation and Instruction for Credit

Review the entire CME information including target audience, learning objectives, and disclosures.
Review each episode.
Complete the Online Post Test, Evaluation, and Credit Application form.
Please note that to receive credit you must achieve a score of at least 70%.
Physicians: Certificate of Credit will be emailed within 4 weeks of successful completion of the activity.
Pharmacists:The information that you participated will be uploaded to CPE Monitor within 1 month and you will be able to access your credits from the profile you set up with NABP. For more information, please visit http://www.nabp.net.

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS ON INTEREST
In accordance with policies set forth by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Center for Independent Healthcare Education requires all faculty members and spouses/significant others with an opportunity to affect the content of a continuing education activity to disclose any relevant financial relationships during the past 12 months with commercial interests. A commercial interest is any entity producing, marketing, reselling or distributing health care goods or services consumed by or used on patients. Relationships with commercial interests and conflicts of interest resulting from those relationships must be revealed to the audience and resolved prior to the activity.

Relevant relationships include roles such as speaker, author, consultant, independent contractor (including research), employee, investor, advisory committee member, board member, review panelist, and investigator. If a potential speaker or author indicates a possible conflict of interest, the conflict will be resolved by choosing another speaker or author for that topical area, or the slides, handouts, and/or monograph will be reviewed and approved by a qualified commercially-disinterested peer.

Planning Committee Members
Thomas J. Walsh, MD, PhD
Kenneth V. Rolston, MD
Erik R. Dubberke, MD, MSPH
Paul DeLisle
Marco Cicero, PhD
Maja Drenovac, PharmD, CCMEP

DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL INTEREST SUMMARY
Thomas J. Walsh, MD (faculty/planner)
does not have relevant financial relationships with commercial interests.
Dr. Walsh does not discuss the off-label use of a product.

Kenneth Rolston, MD (faculty/planner)
has relevant financial relationships with the following commercial interests:
Advisory Board: Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Theravance Inc.
Grant Recipient/Research Support: Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Theravance Inc., Forest Laboratories
Dr. Rolston discusses the off-label use of following products: daptomycin, telavancin, dalbavancin, ceftaroline, and linezolid.

Erik R. Dubberke, MD (faculty/planner)
has relevant financial relationships with the following commercial interests:
  Advisory Board: Cubist Pharmaceuticals
  Consultant: Merck & Co., Rebiotix, Sanofi-Pasteur
  Grant Recipient/Research Support: Merck & Co., Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi-Pasteur, Microdermis
Dr. Dubberke discusses the off-label use of following: Metronidazole is not approved for C. difficile infection treatment.

No other speakers, authors, planners or content reviewers have any relevant financial relationships to disclose. No other speakers or authors will discuss off-label use of a product.

Content review confirmed that the content was developed in a fair, balanced manner free from commercial bias. Disclosure of a relationship is not intended to suggest or condone commercial bias in any presentation, but it is made to provide participants with information that might be of potential importance to their evaluation of a presentation.

Fee
There is no fee to participate in this activity.

Hardware/Software Requirements
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari or Google Chrome with the QuickTime Plug-in
Note: Please disable any “pop-up blocker” features.

Software/Hardware
Adobe® Reader version 7 or above to view PDF files (If you do not have Adobe® Reader, you can download it for free from Adobe.com)
Adobe Flash Player version 10 or above to view multimedia content (If you do
not have Adobe Flash Player, you can download it for free from Adobe.com)

Connection Speed
Cable, DSL, or better of at least 300 kbps

System Check
Please e-mail any questions or concerns to info@vemcomeded.com.

Privacy Policy
http://www.vemcomeded.com/privacy.asp

Joint Sponsorship
This activity is jointly sponsored by
Center for Independent Healthcare Education and Vemco MedEd.

Commercial Support
This activity is supported by an educational grant from Cubist Pharmaceuticals.

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