Melanoma Care Options™ Issue 2: Update on Therapeutic Options in Melanoma

Authors:
Marc Ernstoff, MD (editor)
Keith Flaherty, MD
R. Dirk Noyes, MD, FACS

Coauthor:
John M. Kirkwood, MD (Steering Committee Editor, Working Group Leader)

Barriers to Care Authors:
Ashfaq A. Marghoob, MD, FAAD (dermatology)
Douglas S. Reintgen, MD (surgical oncology)
Thomas E. Olencki, DO (medical oncology)

1. Interested in reading the publication and earning CME credits online? Click here to register, click here to download the publication and click here to take the CME test and evaluation on line.

2. Just want to download the publication? Click here to download the publication. You can always print out and fax the CME information to us later.

Continuing Medical Education Information

Instructions for Participation:

• Read the case presentations and comments in the newsletter
• Fill out the CME test and evaluation online or complete the posttest questions and evaluation form at the end of the newsletter, and fax or mail them to our office

To receive a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ (or 1.5 CNE credits) for this activity:

• Within 4 weeks of successful completion, you may access your credit transcript at ccehs.upmc.edu
• 70% of your posttest answers must be correct for you to receive a certificate of credit

To receive up to 1.5 CNE credits for this activity:

• Within 4 weeks of successful completion, a certificate will be mailed to the address provided
• 70% of your posttest answers must be correct for you to receive a certificate of credit

Target Audience

This activity is directed toward dermatologists, dermatologic surgeons, surgical and medical oncologists, general surgeons, oncology nurses, primary care physicians, and other health care professionals who treat or screen for melanoma.

Statement of Need

The prognosis of melanoma worsens significantly with increasing disease stage. The melanoma community has supported extensive melanoma screening efforts, with the goal of early detection to improve outcomes. Once patients are identified, another essential step is appropriate staging and risk assessment, which helps drive therapeutic and follow-up strategies. This publication focuses on methods to identify patients with melanoma as well as methodology to profile these identified patients so that appropriate management and follow-up strategies can be employed.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this activity, the participants will be able to:

• Describe the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in the staging and treatment of cutaneous melanoma
• Compare and contrast adjuvant therapies for the management of melanoma
• List factors to consider in choosing therapeutic approaches to the management of brain metastases and other distant metastases
• Describe the emerging role of targeted therapies in the management of metastatic melanoma

Continuing Education Credit

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™. Each physician should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of his/her participation in the activity.

1.5 contact hours of Continuing Nursing Education will be granted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. The University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Centers Commission on Accreditation.

We gratefully acknowledge an educational grant from Schering-Plough Corporation in support of this activity.

Contributing Authors and Disclosures

Marc S. Ernstoff, MD
Professor of Medicine
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, New Hampshire
Grants/Research Support: National Institutes of Health, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Berlex Laboratories, Chiron Inc, Schering-Plough Corporation, Pfizer Inc; Consultant: Chiron Inc; Speakers Bureaus: Berlex Laboratories, Chiron Inc, Schering-Plough Corporation, Pfizer Inc

Keith Flaherty, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Consultant/Advisory Board: Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Plexxikon, Chiron, AstraZeneca, Schering-Plough Corporation, Genentech

R. Dirk Noyes, MD, FACS
Co-Director
Surgical Oncology
Multidisciplinary Melanoma Clinic
University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute
Salt Lake City, Utah
Speakers Bureau: Schering-Plough Corporation

Ashfaq A. Marghoob, MD, FAAD
Associate Clinical Member
Clinical Director, Skin Care Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Hauppauge, New York
No financial relationships to disclose

Douglas S. Reintgen, MD
Director
Lakeland Regional Cancer Center
Lakeland, Florida
Speakers Bureau: Schering Oncology

Thomas E. Olencki, DO
Clinical Professor
Division of Hematology/Oncology
James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
Speakers Bureau: Schering-Plough Corporation

Michael Bihari, MD
Freelance Medical Writer
Falmouth, Massachusetts
No financial relationships to disclose

Date of Original Release: September 30, 2007
Expiration Date: September 30, 2008
Date of last review: September 30, 2007