Education Spotlight Sessions
For this year’s Education Spotlight Program, ASH will offer six exciting topics. Each 90-minute session will be presented once on either Sunday or Monday, in a small-venue format for approximately 100 ticketed attendees. Speakers will discuss the topic with ample time reserved for audience questions and participation. The talks will facilitate discussions of evidence-based practice, decision making, and controversies in diagnosis and management. The scientific lectures will address the current state of knowledge, translational and clinical applications, and future directions.
Audio recordings and slides from the Education Spotlight Sessions will be available on the Complete Annual Meeting DVD.
Ticket Prices (per session)
Member: $25
Non-Member in Training: $25
Non-Member: $40
The Education Spotlight Sessions are restricted to medical professionals only; no businesspersons or media will be admitted. Individuals are limited to one ticket per session. Tickets may be purchased during the online registration process.
Attention Trainees!
A number of tickets for the Education Spotlight sessions will be reserved especially for trainees. Proof of status as a trainee will be required to purchase a ticket at the discounted non-member-in-training rate.
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The Cost of Survival in Hematology: A Practical Approach to Pharmaco-Economics for the Hematologist
Sunday, December 5, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Co-Chairs:
Joseph R. Mikhael, MD, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ
Paul Cornes, MD, Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre, Bristol, United Kingdom
Kevin R. Imrie, MD, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
The cost of health care is increasing dramatically, most notably the cost of medications. These increases are evident in the practice of hematology, particularly in cancer therapies. Historically physicians have paid little attention to the costs of care, opting to focus on clinical effectiveness in making treatment decisions. However, it has become apparent that costs factor greatly in our practices and are often mandated by governments, insurance companies, HMOs, or others, and that the current rate of growth is unsustainable. It is no longer sufficient to demonstrate that a new drug or therapy is safe and effective to have it available for clinical use – it now must demonstrate “cost effectiveness.” This spotlight session is designed to provide insight into the often complex world of pharmaco-economics for practicing hematologists and help them appreciate its importance in hematology. The intent is to both educate and empower attendees as their involvement in this issue is inevitable in the years to come, especially with escalating drug costs and limited budgets. Drs. Mikhael, Imrie, and Cornes will provide an overview of the field, review major clinical trials in hematology in which health economics has been prominent, and discuss its relevance to clinical practice and research. Unique national perspectives will be given for the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
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Prospects in Regenerative Medicine in Hematology
Sunday, December 5, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Co-Chairs:
Willem E. Fibbe, MD, PhD, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
Lee L. Rubin, MD, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Regenerative medicine is an emerging interdisciplinary field of research, and clinical applications have focused on the repair, replacement, or regeneration of cells, tissues, or organs. It uses a combination of approaches including soluble molecules, gene therapy, stem cell transplantation, tissue engineering, and the reprogramming of cell and tissue types. In this session, two novel approaches will be discussed. Dr. Willem Fibbe will review the biology and potential clinical applications of mesenchymal stromal cells, highlighting their immunomodulatory, reparative, and anti-inflammatory properties. Dr. Lee Rubin will discuss adult cell reprogramming and advances in regulating cell differentiation and specification. In particular, the application of stem cell technology to understanding human disease mechanisms and to finding safer and more effective drugs will be highlighted.
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Personalized Medicine for the Practicing Physician
Monday, December 6, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Co-Chairs:
David Ginsburg, MD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
What to Tell Patients Who Come to You With Their SNP Data From a Commercial Firm
David Garcia, MD, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Pharmacogenomics
This session will address “personalized medicine” with a focus on genetic information. The recent explosion in genomic technologies now permits patients and physicians to routinely obtain testing for panels of a million or more common DNA sequence variations (SNPs). These results may be associated with increased or decreased risk for a number of common diseases (or a variable response to selected medications), which has generally led to many more questions than answers. This rapidly changing landscape will present major challenges for the practicing physician. The presenters will provide an overview of how this technology has developed and what the future might look like from the perspectives of stakeholders such as biotech companies, basic scientists, clinicians, and patients. Using specific examples relevant to hematology, an evidence-based approach to the incorporation of currently available genetic testing into clinical practice will be proposed. Emphasis will be placed on how genetic information fits in with other important “bedside” characteristics in the ultimate management of an individual patient.
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Interrupting Anticoagulant or Antiplatelet Therapy: Is Bridging Treatment Needed?
Monday, December 6, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Co-Chairs:
Peter B. Berger, MD, Geisinger Clinic, Danville, PA
Interrupting Antiplatelet Therapy
David M. Keeling, MD, Oxford Haemophilia and Thrombosis Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
Interrupting Anticoagulant Therapy
Patients are usually taking anticoagulants to prevent stroke in atrial fibrillation, stroke or valve thrombosis in patients with mechanical heart valves, or recurrent venous thromboembolism in patients with a previous deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Anticoagulation vitamin K antagonists may need to be temporarily withdrawn so that surgery or an invasive procedure can take place. Whether perioperative fulltherapeutic dose heparin (bridging therapy) needs to be given when the international normalized ratio is sub-therapeutic is controversial. This depends on the risk of bleeding due to the nature of the invasive procedure and on the risk of thrombosis off anticoagulation. These risks will be assessed and practical advice given as to how to manage these patients in the perioperative period. Also, many patients require unanticipated invasive procedures in the months after receiving coronary stents. Many require cessation of aspirin, clopidogrel, or both; yet both are required to prevent stent thrombosis. When stent thrombosis occurs, about 40 percent of patients die; the remainder suffer a large myocardial infarction. The risk of delaying surgery, or bleeding if surgery is performed on antiplatelet therapy, must be balanced against the risk of stent thrombosis if surgery is performed and antiplatelet therapy is interrupted. We will review the period of risk after bare and drug-eluting stents and the data regarding bridging therapy. We will also review the risk of bleeding if surgery is performed on antiplatelet therapy and how the risk of post-operative thrombosis can be reduced when surgery does require cessation of antiplatelet therapy.
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DNA-Repair Pathways: Cancer Syndromes to Novel Therapies
Monday, December 6, 2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Co-Chairs:
Alan D. D’Andrea, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Michael B. Kastan, MD, PhD, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Conventional anticancer therapy (chemotherapy and radiation) kills tumor cells by causing DNA damage. Tumors differ in their response to these agents, at least in part, through their variable levels of DNA-repair activity. Human tumor cells have six independent DNA-repair pathways, including base-excision repair (BER), nucleotide-excision repair (NER), homologous recombination (HR), mismatch repair (MMR), non-homologous endjoining (NHEJ), and translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). Here, we will discuss the six major DNA-repair pathways found in human tumors, the relevant inherited cancer syndromes, the available biomarkers for assessing these pathways, and the emerging class of drugs referred to as DNA-repair inhibitors. These inhibitors, including those that target PARP or the ATM protein kinase, block DNA-repair pathways and can enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to conventional therapy. Dr. Alan D’Andrea will discuss the Fanconi anemia/BRCA pathway and its synthetic lethal relationship with other DNA-repair mechanisms. Pharmacologic modulation of this pathway has led to novel therapies for cancer and for bone marrow failure. Dr. Michael Kastan will review another critical DNA-damage-response pathway, the ATM-p53 pathway. This pathway presents opportunities for development of novel anticancer agents, including potential approaches for both radiosensitization and radiation- or chemo-protection. As with the Fanconi anemia/BRCA pathway, the concept of “synthetic lethality” may also apply to this signaling pathway – thus, targeting these pathways could lead to preferential killing of tumor cells based on the genetic or microenvironmental abnormalities in the tumors.
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Ongoing Challenges in Imaging in Lymphoma
Monday, December 6, 2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Co-Chairs:
Bruce D. Cheson, MD, Georgetown University Hospital, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Washington, DC
The Role of PET Imaging in Lymphoma
Sigrid Stroobants, MD, PhD, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Too Much or Too Little: Follow-Up of Lymphoma and the Risk of CT-Induced Cancers
Despite hundreds of publications, the role of FDG-PET in the management of patients with lymphoma remains to be defined. Because PET is more sensitive and specific than other imaging modalities, it has been proposed to complement or even replace current staging. However, several histologic subtypes are not routinely FDG avid; stage is changed in fewer than 30 percent of patients, with therapy altered in a smaller fraction. Numerous papers suggest that PET scan during or following therapy predicts outcome and can be used to alter treatment. A number of risk-adapted protocols are actively accruing patients in which treatment is altered after one or more cycles of therapy based on PET results to augment treatment in PET-positive patients while limiting therapy in those likely to have a favorable outcome. Until the results of trials are available, routine use of PET imaging during treatment outside the context of a trial cannot be recommended. Finally, PET is often used as surveillance during patient follow-up, with no indication that it identifies relapse earlier than other measures. However, PET is valuable in distinguishing fibrosis from active lymphoma and, thus, has been incorporated into the revised response criteria. It is the technique of choice for restaging curable lymphomas, sparing patients unnecessary expense and radiation. The increasing use of serial PET/CT scans in the management of malignancy scanning is accompanied by substantial radiation dose and associated cancer risk, especially in younger patients. Risk-benefit ratios should be carefully weighed prior to every study, especially when clinical utility is less well established. Furthermore, PET/CT scanning protocols should be optimized to minimize dose while maintaining diagnostic utility.
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Practice Makes Perfect Sessions
NEW
Saturday, December 4, 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
This year for the first time, ASH will offer three ticketed sessions geared toward the practicing hematologist. Each session will be presented once on Saturday, in a small-venue format for approximately 25 ticketed attendees. Two speakers will discuss the topic with ample time reserved for questions and participation. A boxed lunched will be provided.
Ticketed Prices (per session)
Member: $25
Non-Member in Training: $25
Non-Member: $40
The Practice Makes Perfect Sessions are restricted to medical professionals or their office staff only; no businesspersons or media will be admitted. Individuals are limited to one ticket per session. Tickets are limited and only available on site on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets can be purchased at the Meet-the-Expert counters in the registration area of the Orange County Convention Center beginning Thursday, December 2, during registration hours until all tickets are sold. The room assignment will be indicated on the ticket. Please check your ticket carefully to ensure proper date, time, location, and session choice.
Attention Trainees!
A number of tickets for the Practice Makes Perfect Sessions will be reserved especially for trainees. Proof of status as a trainee will be required to purchase a ticket at the discounted non-member-in-training rate.
Pay for Performance and the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI)
Speakers:
Elaine G. Chottiner, MD, Ann Arbor Hematology Oncology Associates, Ypsilanti, MI
Steven L. Allen, MD, Monter Cancer Center, Lake Success, NY
New Models for Payment: Pathways and Insurers
Speakers:
Thomas Marsland, MD, Orange Park Cancer Center, Orange Park, FL
Gerald J. Robbins, MD, Florida Cancer Institute, New Port Richey, FL
Maintenance of Certification: What Is It Like to Go Through the Maintenance of Certification?
Speakers:
Candido E. Rivera, MD, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
Thomas P. Bradley, MD, North Shore University Hospital, Lake Success, NY
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American Board of Internal Medicine Maintenance of Certification Learning Session
NEW
Friday, December 3, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
This Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Learning Session will feature an American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) medical knowledge module on hematology; it is intended for those who are enrolled in the MOC process and due to recertify in the next few years. Learning Sessions are conducted in an interactive group setting and are led by ABIM-certified physicians. The three-hour session will cover the 25 multiple-choice questions in the newest ABIM Hematology 2010 module.
At the completion of this session, those enrolled in the ABIM MOC program can submit their answers to ABIM for scoring to receive MOC credit. Enrolled participants can order a copy of the module(s) online from ABIM’s website, www.abim.org. At the conclusion of the Learning Session, participants will transfer the answers to their online module and submit the module to ABIM for scoring. For additional information about ABIM’s MOC program requirements, visit www.abim.org or call the ABIM Contact Center, 800-441-ABIM. Please note that this is not a board review activity; the workshop is designed to facilitate completion of ABIM’s Self-Evaluation of Medical Knowledge MOC requirement.
Ticket Prices (per session)
Member: $75
Non-Member in Training: $75
Non-Member: $125
Tickets can be purchased online during the meeting registration process.
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Meet-the-Expert Sessions
Saturday, December 4, and Sunday, December 5, 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
The Meet-the-Expert sessions are designed to provide an opportunity for a small number of attendees to meet with an expert in a setting that fosters interaction. This year, ASH has invited experts from all over the world to facilitate informal discussions allowing participants to present their questions and gain new perspectives. A boxed lunch will be provided.
Ticket Prices (per session)
Member: $25
Non-Member in Training: $25
Non-Member: $40
The Meet-the-Expert Sessions are restricted to medical professionals only; no businesspersons or media will be admitted. Tickets are limited and only available on site on a first-come, first-served basis. Only one ticket per person is allowed. These tickets can be purchased at the Meet-the-Expert counter in the registration area of the Orange County Convention Center beginning Thursday, December 2, during registration hours until all tickets are sold. The room assignment will be indicated on the ticket. Please check your ticket carefully to ensure proper date, time, location, and session choice.
Attention Trainees!
A number of tickets for the Meet-the-Expert Sessions will be reserved especially for trainees. Proof of status as an Associate member or non-member in training will be required to purchase a ticket. Please show your name badge to the staff at the Meet-the-Expert ticket counter.
Schedule Subject to Change
Please note that the Meet-the-Expert Session schedule included here is not final. Please check the ASH website in late September to view the schedule.
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Saturday, December 5
John W. Adamson, MD, University of California - San Diego, San Diego, CA
Erythropoietin Therapy: Minimizing Risk and Maximizing Benefit
Stephen M. Ansell, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Hodgkin Lymphoma
Juliet Barker, MBBS, Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Cord Blood Transplantation
Marc Carrier, MD, MSc, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Venous Thromboembolism and Cancer: Prevention and Treatment
Christine Chen, MD, Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
IMiDS and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Jorge Di Paola, MD, University of Colorado - Denver, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
Von Willebrand Disease
Cynthia E. Dunbar, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Blood, Washington, DC
Publishing Laboratory and Clinical Studies
Christopher Flowers, MD, MSc, Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA
Survivorship in Lymphoma
Andre Goy, MD, John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack, NJ
Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Andreas Greinacher, MD, Institute for Immunology and Transfusion, Greifswald, Germany
Thrombocytopenia: From Hemolytic Uremia Syndrome to Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
Ronald Hoffman, MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
Myeloproliferative Diseases
Jonathan D. Licht, MD, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, IL
Entering miRNA Research: Principles, Technologies, Promise, and Pitfalls
Francesco Lo-Coco, MD, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
Using Molecular Diagnostics to Guide Management of Acute Leukemia
Guido Marcucci, MD, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Prognostic Markers in Acute Myelocytic Leukemia
Jeffrey S. Miller, MD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
NK Cells and Bone Marrow Transplant
Margaret V. Ragni, MD, University of Pittsburgh and Hemophilia Center of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA
Liver Disease in Hemophilia
Alan G. Rosmarin, MD, UMass Memorial Medical School, Worcester, MA
Developmental Transcription Factors Gone Wild: Dissecting the Origins of Leukemia
Rita Selby, MBBS, MSc, Sunnybrook HSC and University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
The Laboratory and Venous Thromboembolism
Ayalew Tefferi, MD, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, MN
Polycythemia Rubra Vera
John Tisdale, MD, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Sickle Cell Disease and Transplant
Donna Weber, MD, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Future Therapies for Myeloma
Daniel J. Weisdorf, MD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Jeffrey I. Weitz, MD, Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Emerging Role for New Oral Anticoagulants
David A. Williams, MD, Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA
What Future for Gene Therapy?
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Sunday, December 6
P. Leif Bergsagel, MD, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ
Signaling in Multiple Myeloma: From Prognosis to Therapy
Martin Carroll, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Joel Anne Chasis, MD, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
Erythropoiesis Island Niche and Anemias
Linzhao Cheng, PhD, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
How to Get Started With iPS Cells in Your Lab
John F. Di Persio, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
Strategies for Stem Cell Mobilization
Angela Dispenzieri, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal Gammopathy, and Skin Changes (POEMS) Syndrome and Amyloidosis
Benjamin L. Ebert, MD, DPhil, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
5q- Syndrome
Elizabeth A. Eklund, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL
DNA-Repair Defects in Acute Leukemias: Can They Be Exploited?
A. Victor Hoffbrand, DM, DSc, Royal Free Hospital, London, England
Megaloblastic Anemias
Shaji K. Kumar, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Initial Therapy of Myeloma
Paul Monagle, MBBS, MD, MSc, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Pediatric Anticoagulation
Elaine A. Muchmore, MD, University of California - San Diego, San Diego, CA
Fellowship Training and Hematology
Steven Z. Pavletic, MD, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Azra Raza, MD, St. Vincent’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, NY
Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Miguel A. Sanz, MD, PhD, University Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain
Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
Seema Singhal, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Stem Cell Transplant and Myeloma
Donald Small, MD, PhD, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Flt3 Inhibitors: Ready for Prime Time?
Louis M. Staudt, MD, PhD, National CancerInstitute, National Institutes of Health,Bethesda, MD
Aggressive Lymphomas
Kimberly Stegmaier, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
Identifying and Therapeutically Exploiting Molecular Vulnerabilities in Leukemia: New Drug Development
Rainer F. Storb, MD, University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
Issues in Stem Cell Transplantation
Deborah A. Thomas, MD, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Steven P. Treon, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Waldenström Macroglobulinemia
Amy J. Wagers, PhD, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA
Stem Cell Aging
Michael E. Williams, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Immunotherapy for Lymphoma
Neal S. Young, MD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Aplastic Anemia
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