Estimate Time to Complete Activity: 15 minutes
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive type of infiltrating glioma, accounting for more than 50% of adult central nervous system neoplasms. Due to the impermeability of the blood-brain barrier and the acquired and intrinsic drug resistance of central nervous system tumors, systemic chemotherapy is not highly effective at treating patients with GBM. Most of the effective therapies for the treatment of patients with GBM are localized, including surgical resection, radiotherapy, and local administration of chemotherapeutic agents. Temozolomide is one of the few systemic therapies to demonstrate a survival advantage in this patient population. However, even with these therapeutic options, median survival only improves from 2-3 months (without treatment) to 12-14 months, and only 3%-5% of patients receiving treatment survive more than 3 years. Recurrent disease is particularly lethal, with a median survival of only a few months. Clearly, alternative therapies are needed to treat this devastating disease. All solid tumors require a blood supply in order to grow beyond a certain size, and malignant gliomas are among the most vascular of human tumors. Also, preclinical data indicate that angiogenesis is essential for the proliferation and survival of malignant glioma cells. Clinical testing of antiangiogenic drugs has commenced with the expectation that at least some of these agents will soon receive regulatory approval. Thus, tumor angiogenic pathways represent an attractive target for anticancer therapies, and multiple angiogenesis inhibitors are currently in clinical testing. At the end of this activity, participants will be able to describe aberrant pathways in GBM that promote elevated tumor angiogenesis and tumor growth, as well as evaluate recent advances in the use of antiangiogenic agents in the management of GBM.
This activity is intended for medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, physician assistants, and other healthcare professionals interested in the treatment and management of patients with GBM.
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to
This activity can be accessed using an iPhone® or iPod touch® and will be a featured program on the CBCE CME app, which may be downloaded from the Apple® App Store. The activity will also be available on www.thecbce.com.
Physicians: The CBCE™ (The Center for Biomedical Continuing Education) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The CBCE designates this educational activity for a maximum of .25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity. Physician Assistants: AAPA accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for Category 1 credit from AOACCME, Prescribed credit from AAFP, and AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society. Physician assistants may receive a maximum of .25 hour of Category 1 credit for completing this program.
Successful completion of this activity includes the following:
Participants will receive their certificates via e-mail 4-6 weeks after submission of the online Evaluation and Request for Credit.
Participants will receive their certificate 4-6 weeks after the CBCE receives their posttest and form.
For further information, please contact the CBCE, 1707 Market Place Blvd., Suite 370, Irving, TX 75063; Phone: (214) 260-9024; Fax: (214) 260-0509; E-mail: info@thecbce.com.
This activity in its current version is not commercially supported. The content and views presented in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of the CBCE. This material has been prepared based on a review of multiple sources of information but is not comprehensive. Participants are advised to critically appraise the information presented, and they are encouraged to consult the available literature on any product or device mentioned in this program.
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. For additional information about approved uses, including approved indications, contraindications, and warnings, please refer to the prescribing information for each product or consult the latest edition of the Physicians’ Desk Reference.
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, it is the policy of the CBCE to require that everyone who is in a position to control the content of an educational activity disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest, and identify and resolve all conflicts of interest prior to the educational activity. The CBCE defines “relevant financial relationships” as any amount occurring within the past 12 months. Financial relationships are those relationships in which the individual benefits by receiving a salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, consulting fee, honorarium, ownership interest (eg, stocks, stock options, or other ownership interest, excluding diversified mutual funds), or other financial benefit. Financial benefits are usually associated with roles such as employment, management, independent contractor (including contracted research), consulting, speaking and teaching, membership on advisory committees or review panels, board membership, and other activities for which remuneration is received or expected. The CBCE considers relationships of the person involved in the educational activity to include financial relationships of a spouse or partner. Faculty who refuse to disclose relevant financial relationships will be disqualified from being a planning committee member, a teacher, or an author, and cannot have control of or responsibility for the development, management, presentation, or evaluation of the educational activity. For an individual with no relevant financial relationship, participants must be informed that no relevant financial relationship exists.
The CBCE assesses conflicts of interest with its faculty, planners, and managers of CBCE activities. Identified conflicts of interest are thoroughly evaluated for fair balance, scientific objectivity relative to studies utilized in this activity, and patient-care recommendations. The CBCE is committed to providing participants with high-quality, unbiased, and state-of-the-art education. The following faculty reported real or apparent conflicts of interest, and these conflicts have been resolved through a peer-review process: Timothy Cloughesy, MD Consultant Adnexus Excelixis® Genentech, Inc. Honoraria Excelixis®
The CBCE receives educational grants from the pharmaceutical industry and other commercial sources. This activity in its current version is not commercially supported.
The CBCE staff have declared they have no financial relationships that require disclosure.