General CME Information
Physicians (MDs and DOs) may receive CME credit for attending this meeting. Nonphysicians (including nurses and pharmacists) may request a Certificate of Participation, which may enable nonphysicians to apply their meeting participation hours toward re-licensure.
Questions regarding CME may be sent via e-mail (cme@asco.org).
CME Accreditation Statement
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is
accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing
Medical Education to provide continuing medical
education for physicians.
ASCO designates this educational activity for a maximum
of 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should
only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their
participation in the activity.
Needs Statement
Gastrointestinal cancers are expected to account for 271,250 of the approximately 1.4 million cancers projected in the US in 2007.1 While five-year survival rates for gastrointestinal cancers have shown improvement over the last several decades, approximately 135,000 people with gastrointestinal cancer will die in the US this year.1
Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer in both men and women, accounting for 10% of all deaths from cancer.1 Colonoscopy remains the front-line diagnostic tool for prevention and diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Non-colorectal cancers have consistently higher mortality rates than colorectal cancers, in part due to the absence of effective tools for early diagnosis combined with the relatively late onset of symptoms. Many colorectal cancers can be screened for during early stages; however less common cancers of the digestive tract are often diagnosed when they are advanced and difficult to treat.2
A study done by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Office of Education and Special Initiatives (OESI) in the spring of 2005 found that oncologists most frequently favored research findings as the basis of their clinical decision-making.3 Practitioners surveyed indicated that there is a gap between the cancer care patients receive and the care indicated by current evidence. Through the 2008 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, the co-sponsoring societies look to narrow this gap by providing a multidisciplinary forum of review and discussion for oncologists. Of ASCO members surveyed, 65% indicated they frequently rely on professional society meetings and conferences as a resource.3 Efforts to have more narrowly focused meetings that disseminate new treatments, based on potential to improve patient outcomes, were positively rated by 77% of respondents as a benefit to their practice implementation needs.3
To this end few educational opportunities address these needs for gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis, treatment, and management in a multidisciplinary forum. For this reason, the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium is designed to educate and update physicians on the latest research findings related to gastrointestinal cancers. Physicians and other professionals, involved with cancer care and research, call for access to advances in the state of research and treatment for gastrointestinal cancers in order to provide quality care to patients and improve outcomes. This meeting will provide a forum for the dissemination and discussion of research and treatment developments for gastrointestinal cancers.
1American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2007. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2007.
2 Herbst RS, et al. Clinical Cancer Advances 2006: Major Research Advances in Cancer Treatment, Prevention, and Screening – A Report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. J. Clin Oncol 25(1), 2007.
3 National Cancer Institute’s Office of Education Special Initiatives. A Study to Determine How to Improve the Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Cancer Care: Report of Practitioner Survey Findings. February 2006.
Target Audience
This symposium is designed for individuals with clinical
and/or research interests in the prevention, screening,
evaluation, and management of gastrointestinal cancers,
including radiologists; gastroenterologists; medical,
surgical, and radiation oncologists; pathologists; and
translational-oriented laboratory scientists.
The program can also benefit nurses, pharmacists,
physician assistants, and all other health care professionals
involved in clinical care and research in this area.
Learning Objectives
Upon participation in this activity, attendees will be able to: - Investigate the current use of molecular markers and diagnostic strategies for the prevention, screening, and
diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers;
- Improve colorectal cancer patient outcomes through the appropriate use of combination in contrast to sequential therapy, therapeutic breaks, and biologic agents;
- Evaluate the toxicity profiles and efficacies of emerging combinations of cytotoxic therapy in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies; when appropriate, implement new or revised therapeutic strategies based on this information;
- Identify and utilize tools for risk assessment and risk reduction including chemoprevention and other prevention strategies;
- Analyze results from key U.S. and international cooperative group trials attempting to define standard of care treatments for gastrointestinal cancers.
Disclaimer and Unlabelled Usage Statement
The information presented is that of the contributing
faculty and does not necessarily represent the views of
the American Gastroenterological Association Institute
(AGA Institute), the American Society of Clinical Oncology
(ASCO), the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology
and Oncology (ASTRO), or the Society of Surgical
Oncology (SSO), and/or any named commercial entity
providing financial support. Specific therapies discussed
may not be approved and/or specified for use as indicated
by the faculty presenters. Therefore, before prescribing
any medication, please review the complete prescribing
information including indications, contraindications,
warnings, precautions, and adverse effects.
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