OVERVIEW

Community Practice Connections™: Employing Effective Strategies to Address Posttransplant Obstacles in the Clinic: A Focus on Graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) and Hepatic Veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is organized by Physicians' Education Resource, LLC (PER).

Release Date: November 27, 2019
Expiration Date: November 27, 2020

Accreditation:
Physicians’ Education Resource®, LLC, designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physicians’ Education Resource®, LLC, is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #16669, for 1.0 Contact Hour.

Activity Overview:
Graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) is a common complication that presents following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The ability to diagnose GvHD in a timely manner or even predict GvHD before clinical manifestations, along with the accurate stratification of patients with GvHD, are critical for improving the treatment outcomes of these patients. Expanding knowledge of pathophysiology of GvHD has helped identify new targets, which, in turn, has led to the development of several novel investigational therapies that are showing promising efficacy in both up-front and steroid-refractory settings.

Veno-occlusive disease (VOD), a grave and potentially fatal complication of HCT, is induced by treatment regimens such as radiation and high-dose chemotherapy. VOD has key features that are distinct from those of hepatic GvHD.

As clinical options continue to emerge and evolve, clinicians must keep up-to-date on the cutting-edge data that continue to shape the best options for care in these patient populations. This activity will update practitioners on advances in the medical management of posttransplant obstacles such as GvHD and hepatic VOD.

Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this educational activity, you should be better prepared to:
• Summarize GvHD pathogenesis and diagnosis, as well as hepatic VOD diagnostic criteria, to facilitate its identification and management
• Review current prophylactic and treatment regimens for GvHD and hepatic VOD
• Describe current evidence regarding emerging therapies in the treatment of GvHD and hepatic VOD
• Identify and manage treatment-related toxicities associated with GvHD and hepatic VOD treatment strategies

Benefits of Participating:
• Assess the pathogenesis of GvHD and VOD and the guidelines to assess, stage, and manage patients with these conditions
• Outline preventive strategies to deter the development of GvHD and VOD in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
• Discuss novel biomarkers that can facilitate the identification of GvHD and VOD and the probability of treatment response
• Evaluate the clinical benefits and safety of novel and emerging agents and regimens to decrease risk, as well as to treat GvHD and VOD