On Location
American Society of Hematology’s inaugural
MEETING ON HEMATOLOGIC MALIGNANCIES
ASH Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies Preview:
A Discussion with Program Co-Chairs
ew clinical and
biologic data within
lymphoid and myeloid
malignancies, including newly completed
clinical trials, novel drugs, and
insight into the genetic basis of
these varied diseases is coming
so fast and furiously, it is leaving
clinicians in an information gap.
The inaugural ASH Meeting on
Hematologic Malignancies looks
to close that gap.
The September meeting in
Chicago will feature discussions
with international experts in
hematologic malignancies on the
latest developments in clinical
care and the clinically relevant
mechanisms underlying these
diseases. Of course, they’ll offer
highlights from major research in
their respective disease states,
but they’ll pair those data with
lessons learned from personal
experience.
To help attendees find answers
to their most challenging patient
care questions, the majority of the
program content will be structured
as “How I Treat” sessions on core
malignancies – including the areas
of leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloma,
and myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Each presentation will showcase
the speaker’s evidence-based
treatment approaches, ranging
from standard of care, specialized
disease complications, and novel
agent discussions.
ASH Clinical News asked the
meeting’s Program Co-Chairs
to tell us more about the “how”
and the “why” behind the new
meeting.
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ASH Clinical News
Program Co-Chairs
Kenneth C. Anderson, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA
Joseph M. Connors, MD
British Columbia Cancer
Agency
Vancouver, Canada
Who is the primary audience for ASH Meeting
on Hematologic Malignancies?
Joseph M. Connors, MD: The meeting program
was designed with clinicians who take care of
patients day-to-day in mind, so the target audience
would be community-based physicians and
academic clinicians who actively treat patients.
Kenneth C. Anderson, MD: In addition to
community practitioners, I think the meeting
will attract other members of the caregiver team,
such as nurse practitioners, those in early training
years, and those in fellowship.
The “How I Treat” format of the meeting is
unique to the Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies – why was that format chosen for the
program?
Martin S. Tallman, MD: “How I Treat” is a hugely
successful feature of Blood, and a wonderful
feature for clinicians. The case-based approach
also lends itself to a meeting format that is very
practical and focuses on caring for patients and
managing their disease. The meeting offers an
opportunity for people to learn what experts are
doing with their hematologic malignancy patients
on a real-time basis.
Given the current emphasis on evidence-based
medicine, how will this expert opinion and
experience enhance a clinician’s practice?
Dr. Tallman: Very often in medicine, there
may be no data to support a certain treatment
course in a patient; regardless of the lack of an
evidence base, come Monday morning, you
still have to treat that patient. So, for those
presenting at the meeting, we gave them clear
guidelines: “Where there is evidence, tell people
what you do and why you do it within the
context of that evidence. But where there is no
evidence, simply tell people what you do.”
Martin S. Tallman, MD
Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center
New York, NY
“ he meeting offers
T
an opportunity for
people to learn
what experts are
doing with their
patients on a realtime basis.”
—MARTIN S. TALLMAN, MD
Evidence-based medicine is absolutely a
component of the meeting program, but it is tied to
expert-based opinion, as well. In selecting speakers
for the meeting, we sought clinicians who are
known to be good communicators and educators
– that was a very important criterion for us, and I
think attendees will benefit from their expertise.
Dr. Connors: What we wanted was a set of experts
who are thoroughly grounded in the available
evidence, but who also have extensive experience
in a disease state. When they have been directly
confronted by a lack of evidence – as I’m sure
every clinician has, at some point – they have had
to develop sensible decisions about treatment.
Dr. Anderson: The current pace of advances
in medicine from bench to bedside is so rapid
March 2015