Welcome to our interactive and engaging educational initiative on managing anemia in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Anemia is a common issue in MDS, causing symptoms like fatigue, pallor, shortness of breath, and light-headedness. It can have a significant impact on patients' quality of life and lead to complications such as iron overload and red blood cell transfusion dependence. Moreover, anemia and transfusion dependence are associated with poor outcomes in MDS. In this program, you will learn the optimal time to initiate anemia treatment, how best to dose luspatercept and address adverse events, and familiarize yourself with emerging data in the treatment of anemia related to low-risk MDS to better help your patients.

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of cognitive impairment and dementia in older individuals (≥ 65 years) throughout the world. In the United States (U.S.), more than 6 million individuals carry this diagnosis, with many yet to be diagnosed. AD follows a prolonged, progressive disease course that begins with pathophysiological changes years before any clinical manifestations are observed. Individuals harboring such changes may have no symptoms or may exhibit clinical manifestations varying from memory lapses to severe and debilitating loss of memory and cognitive function. There are several clinical gaps including the use of biomarkers in AD diagnosis, knowledge of new and emerging disease-modifying treatments, and multidisciplinary care coordination in early AD. Through an interactive educational initiative bringing together AD experts and clinicians involved in AD care, we aim to educate all those involved to improve the care of patients with early AD.

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Endometrial cancer is among the few cancers increasing in incidence and mortality in the United State and remains the most common gynecologic cancer diagnosed. To improve clinical outcomes, clinicians treating patients with endometrial cancer need to understand the molecular classification of the disease, the newest guidelines on management, and the evidence underlying these recommendations. Along with this, clinicians must be aware of the most effective ways to manage possible adverse events as well as be cognizant of how best to address racial disparities in care. This educational initiative will allow clinicians to learn and discuss these crucial points in diagnosing and managing these patients to increase long-term survival. Given the rapid shift in best practices occurring in this area and the fact that current NCCN Guidelines classify endometrial cancers into 1 of 4 molecular groups, as opposed to the traditional 2 groups, it is important for clinicians to stay up to date as advances in areas such as biomarker research continue to be made. This educational activity allows clinicians to engage in interprofessional discussions with knowledgeable experts and peers to more fully understand how to integrate these new treatment approaches into their day-to-day practice and establish actionable plans to improve outcomes for their patients.

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Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease affecting approximately 1 in 67,000 individuals, with no identified differences in prevalence due to sex or ethnicity. The disease commonly presents with recurrent attacks of swelling in any part of the body. Given the physical and psychosocial impact of HAE on patients and their families, many patients benefit from effective long-term prophylaxis. However, there are numerous clinical gaps impacting the initiation of effective HAE prophylaxis. This collaborative social learning platform aims to help close those gaps by establishing a network of providers who can connect with and support each other with the aim of learning and sharing best practices that will improve outcomes for patients needing long term HAE prophylaxis. By immersing learners in a personalized educational experience, this program explores the management of HAE in a way that is both informative and practical.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be the second most lethal cancer in the United States (US) with approximately 149,500 new cases and 52,980 deaths per year. Patients diagnosed at an advanced/metastatic stage have a five-year survival rate of roughly 14%. For these patients, initial treatment is usually chemotherapy based. With this treatment, patients have a median survival of 30 months. Through further research, targeted therapies have been developed to fight metastatic CRC (mCRC), these include antibodies against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). These agents have increased overall survival (OS) in mCRC. Several biomarkers are used in the diagnosis of mCRC, including KRAS and MRAF mutations as well as microsatellite instability assessment. Testing for and targeting BRAF mutations is recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. Still BRAF testing is underused, especially at community centers. While BRAF V600E mutation is associated with poorer prognosis, there are now targeted treatments available. After first-line treatment, subsequent systemic therapy recommendations from the NCCN include the combination of encorafenib in addition to EGFR inhibition with cetuximab or panitumumab. Dermatologic adverse events (AEs), among others, may occur with these treatments, but there is detailed guidance available for their management. This educational program will help clinicians understand the importance of BRAF testing and treatment with practical guidance on managing AEs to keep patients on effective doses of their needed medications.

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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been reservations regarding the risks of using immunosuppressive or immunomodulating agents to treat patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in case these treatments increase infectious disease risk or reduce vaccine efficacy. Many MS patients take disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) to prevent new symptoms such as muscle weakness, poor coordination, and/or impaired vision while mitigating disease progression. For many years, the treatment paradigm has been to “treat early and never stop”, but given issues that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, this idea became much more challenging. While it appears we are in a nadir with respect to COVID infections, the risk of COVID remains and is of particular concern for our patients with MS. MS treatment in the context of COVID-19 risk or infection has been exceptionally challenging. Accordingly, healthcare providers have had reservations and concerns regarding deciding what are the safest and most effective treatment strategies taking into consideration all of the risks and potential complications when addressing both MS and COVID-19. Clinicians caring for patients with MS require educational programs to stay informed of the recommended best use of DMTs and to be aware of the latest guidelines for safely treating MS in the context of COVID-19. This collaborative social learning platform establishes a network of providers who can support each other locally, as well as those from different communities, with the goal of learning and sharing best practices that will improve outcomes for patients with MS in the context of COVID-19.

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Clinically heterogeneous presentation, with only intermittent symptoms and long latent periods for some patients, along with manifestations that overlap with other skin conditions make the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis difficult for clinicians, resulting in delays in diagnosis and treatment. Current therapies such as topical corticosteroids, emollients, supportive care and biologics have limited efficacy and are not adequate for treating many patients with moderate to severe AD across different skin types. To bridge this gap, novel targeted therapies are needed. Investigational therapies such as Janus Kinase 1 (JAK 1) inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and membrane IgE inhibitor when approved will transform the treatment approaches for AD. These advancements will provide more treatment options for patients and will allow clinicians to specifically treat underlying causes of AD with more certainty. However, substantial accumulation of new data from these advances creates knowledge and practice gaps that affect patient care. This collaborative social learning platform establishes a network of providers who can support each other locally, as well as those from different communities, with the goal of learning and sharing best practices that will improve outcomes for patients.

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Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains the most common variety of renal cancer, representing 90% of the diagnoses. Within the United States (US), it is a relatively common malignant caner, ranking as sixth and tenth most common for men and women respectively. Yet, the incidence has been slowly but steadily rising over the past thirty years. While localized RCC has a high survival rate, metastatic RCC only has a 5-20% 5-year survival rate. Previous forms of therapy at this stage had variable efficacy and poor tolerability in these advanced stages. The development of several agents has improved RCC outcomes and have improved tolerability: vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (VEGFi), mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, and immunotherapies. Of note, two main combinations of are approved in patients with RCC: (1) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with immuno-oncology (I-O) therapies and (2) two I-O agents. Educational programs that focus on this new and emerging approach are needed to aid clinicians in understanding the proper and safe use of I-O combinations. This collaborative social learning platform establishes a network of providers who can support each other locally, as well as those from different communities, with the goal of learning and sharing best practices that will improve outcomes for patients with renal cell carcinoma.

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The current treatment of advanced, recurrent, and metastatic cervical cancer is difficult, especially as treatment progresses to the second line. Considerations for treatment are nuanced and numerous. Factors include prior treatments, treatment timing, and patient preference. The advent of targeted therapies has brought improved outcomes for those patients whose tumors harbor specific mutations. Still for those who are ineligible for targeted therapies, currently available options are lacking. Agents in the pipeline of development and potential approval offer hope for the treatment of this difficult to manage disease. The goal of this educational curriculum, Turning Complexity into Clarity in Advanced Cervical Cancer, is to establish impactful small group interactions between members of the cervical cancer care team that will, through a variety of collaborative educational experiences, help them in learning and sharing best practices that will improve outcomes for patients with cervical cancer.

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