49th ASH^® Annual Meeting and Exposition
December 8-11, 2007

Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia

Abstracts | Important Dates | Schedule At-a-Glance | Special Lectures | Special Interest Sessions | Education Program | Education Spotlight Sessions | Scientific Program | Meet-the-Expert Sessions | Oral and Poster Sessions | Trainee Activities and Services | ASH Business Meeting | Social Events | Exposition | Registration | Hotel Accommodations | CME Credits | Attendee Services | Travel | Atlanta | ASH Publications and Meeting Materials | Meeting Rules and Regulations | Speaker Preparation and Conflict of Interest | Friday Satellite Symposia

Education Spotlight Sessions

For this year’s Education Spotlight Program, ASH will offer seven exciting topics. Each 90-minute session will be presented once, on Sunday afternoon or Monday, in a small-venue format for approximately 100 ticketed attendees. Two 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.

Ticket Prices (per session)
Member/Non-Member: $50
Associate Member/Non-Member in Training: $25

Ticket Order Form for Education Spotlight Sessions

Individuals are limited to one ticket per session. The Education Spotlight Sessions are restricted to medical professionals only; no businesspersons or media will be admitted. Tickets may be purchased during the online registration process or on the special Education Spotlight Sessions ticket order form. Please note that tickets purchased in advance will not be mailed, and you will need to pick them up on site at the ticket counter in the Georgia World Congress Center.

Attention Trainees!
A number of tickets for these Spotlight Sessions will be reserved especially for trainees. Tickets can be purchased in advance online or using the ticket order form, but proof of status as an ASH Associate member or non-member in training will be required; please show your name badge to the staff at the ticket counter when you pick up your tickets on site. (Tickets will not be mailed.)

Spotlight on Post-Remission Therapy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Sunday, December 9, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Once a patient with acute myeloid leukemia achieves complete remission, the task of determining the best post-remission strategy for an individual patient is often difficult. Post-remission strategies are evolving, and the optimal approach increasingly depends on a number of prognostic factors beyond age and performance status. Cytogenetic and molecular markers are important components of a comprehensive risk assessment. This session will be based on five cases derived from clinical practice that highlight the issues involved in determining the best post-remission therapy and serve as a springboard for discussion and debate.

Dr. Martin Tallman will discuss post-remission strategies for patients with favorable-risk acute myeloid leukemia and acute promyelocytic leukemia and older adults.

Dr. Bob Löwenberg will address post-remission approaches for those patients with intermediate- and unfavorable-risk acute myeloid leukemia.

Spotlight on How the New Response Criteria for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Will Alter Clinical Care and Research Design

Sunday, December 9, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Standardized response criteria are essential to conduct clinical trials, interpret results within and among various studies, and facilitate new drug approval by regulatory agencies. The recent availability of FDG-PET, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometric analysis permits a more sensitive and specific assessment of response to treatment and enhances the distinction between active tumor and fibrosis or scar tissue. The International Harmonization Project was convened to standardize the conduct and interpretation of FDG-PET in lymphoma and to develop new clinical trial guidelines for response assessment in patients with lymphomas. The practicing hematologist/oncologist should understand how to incorporate the new technologies into clinical practice, exploiting their advantages while recognizing their limitations.

Dr. Bruce Cheson will review the new criteria for response assessment and will discuss the role of FDG-PET in the management of patients with lymphoma in clinical trials and in clinical practice.

Dr. Jonathan Friedberg will detail the utility of FDG-PET to predict clinical outcome in various lymphoma subtypes and discuss ongoing prospective clinical trial designs incorporating FDG-PET imaging in therapeutic decisions.

The session will conclude with case discussions examining how response criteria are best incorporated into the management of common clinical scenarios encountered in everyday practice.

Spotlight on Amyloidosis

Sunday, December 9, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

AL-amyloidosis is the most common form of systemic amyloidosis and is usually associated with an underlying plasma cell dyscrasia. The disease is often difficult to recognize because of the spectrum of clinical manifestations and non-specific constitutional complaints.

The clinical syndromes at presentation include nephrotic range proteinuria, usually with minimal renal dysfunction, diastolic heart failure, symptomatic hepatomegaly, and autonomic or sensory neuropathy. Recent diagnostic and prognostic advances include use of the serum-free light-chain assay, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and serologic cardiac biomarkers. Treatment strategies that have evolved during the past decade are prolonging survival and improving quality of life for patients with this disease. However, the pathogenesis and biology of AL-amyloidosis remains obscure in many ways.

Dr. Vaishali Sanchorawala will review the clinical manifestations and diagnosis of AL-amyloidosis, clinical outcomes with high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, and the unique management problems that AL-amyloidosis poses. She will also provide an update on the application of novel agents in the treatment of this disease.

Dr. Raymond Comenzo will discuss diagnostic pitfalls, patterns of response to therapy, the use of adjuvant and second-line therapies, and guidelines for long-term clinical management of patients. He will also discuss the clonal plasma cell in AL-amyloidosis as a target for research and therapy.

Spotlight on Challenges in Hematopathology

Monday, December 10, 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

The accurate diagnosis of hematolymphoid neoplasms begins with a careful morphological assessment but typically requires the integration of clinical and laboratory studies including immunophenotypic analysis, cytogenetics, and molecular genetic investigations. The complexity of cases varies considerably but ultimately determines the extent of additional studies needed to allow a precise diagnosis and provide additional biomarker information helpful for assigning prognosis and guiding treatment planning. The practicing hematopathologist requires a detailed understanding of both leukemic and lymphomatous disorders, the full scope of ancillary studies required to complement morphological review, and the pre-test sample requirements necessary to generate reproducible results. A comprehensive understanding of the field is required for generating a complete consultative report on all biopsy samples. Hematology/oncology clinicians need to understand the complexity of the process and the importance of their interaction and communication with the consultant hematopathologist.

Dr. Randy Gascoyne will discuss strategies used to facilitate lymphoma diagnosis and subtype distinctions. The focus will be on the use of ancillary studies, such as flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, molecular genetics, and cytogenetics, including multi-color and locus-specific FISH.

Dr. John Anastasi will use clinical case examples as a means to discuss the importance of integrating morphology and data from immunophenotyping, cytogenetic, and molecular studies with clinical information to generate a meaningful diagnosis in the myeloid malignancies.

Spotlight on Consultative Hematology

Monday, December 10, 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

The prevention of pulmonary emboli by the use of inferior vena cava filters has become much more widespread with the advent of removable filters. However, the optimal use of these filters is still a matter of study and debate.

The investigation of hematologic complications following solid organ transplantation must take into account the role that the transplanted organ plays in producing the complication and the impact of the drugs that are given to prevent rejection and to treat the non-hematologic complications of transplantation.

Dr. David Green will review the current knowledge about inferior vena cava filters and will suggest a practical and logical approach to the use of these filters.

Dr. Ian Quirt will discuss immune hemolytic anemia caused by donor lymphocytes in the transplanted organ, the microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and thrombocytopenia syndrome produced by the drugs used to prevent rejection. The difficulty of investigating a liver transplant patient when either the patient or the donor has an inherited hypercoagulable state will also be explored.

Spotlight on Thrombosis Prevention and Management in High-Risk Clinical Situations (“Riding the Tiger”)

Monday, December 10, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The practicing hematologist is frequently asked to assist in resolving complex or high-risk clinical problems related to thrombosis for which there is no generally accepted approach. Development of strategies to address these situations requires an understanding of the pathophysiology of the involved disorders, familiarity with available treatment options and their implementation, and a considerable amount of statesmanship in creating a treatment plan that satisfies the concerns of primary physicians and other consultants as well as resolving the clinical problem.

Drs. Andersen and Reding will use case histories and pathophysiologic descriptions to discuss consultative approaches to the prevention of thrombosis or its management in several such situations encountered in clinical practice. These will include: (1) perioperative thrombosis prevention in patients with inherited bleeding disorders with full factor replacement, recent cerebrovascular hemorrhage or ischemic stroke with infarction, recent coronary artery stent placement, mechanical cardiac valves, or history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia; (2) pregnancy management in patients with a history of fetal loss, maternal thrombosis, or mechanical cardiac valves; (3) choosing alternatives to unfractionated heparin in acute coronary syndromes, cardiopulmonary bypass, and other vascular procedures; (4) use of thrombolytic therapy and IVC filters – when and which kind; and (5) critical components of treatment, duration of treatment, and follow-up strategies for patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Emphasis will be placed upon developing methods for weighing risk and benefit, assessing local skills and comfort levels with management strategies, educating colleagues and support staff when unfamiliar techniques or agents will be employed, and negotiating consensus when necessity for intervention trumps local reluctance to act.

Spotlight on Hemolytic Anemia: PNH and Hemolytic Anemia

Monday, December 10, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The numerous hemolytic anemias are often difficult to distinguish without specialized tests. This session will focus on the diagnostic approach to these diseases and will discuss in depth one specific hemolytic anemia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).

Dr. Samuel Lux will use patient examples to discuss the approach to the diagnosis of selected hemolytic anemias. This will include both intravascular and extravascular hemolysis, blood smears, and situations that mask hemolysis and otherwise complicate diagnosis.

Dr. Peter Hillmen will review the investigation, pathophysiology, and management of patients with PNH. This will include a review of the current thoughts on the role of free hemoglobin and nitric oxide consumption in the symptomatology of PNH. The use of the complement-blocking monoclonal antibody, eculizumab, which has recently been approved by the FDA for the therapy of hemolytic PNH, will be extensively reviewed. The indications for therapy with eculizumab and the optimal management of patients on complement inhibition will be discussed.