Conference Details - Overview

Back to Conferences

Continuing Education Information

Physicians: Physicians' Education Resource is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

Physician Assistants: AAPA accepts category 1 credit from AOACCME, Prescribed credit from AAFP, and AMA Category 1 CME credit for the PRA from organizations accredited by the ACCME.

Second Annual Symposium for Nurses and Pharmacists Specializing in Oncology: Assessing and Managing Side Effects in the Era of Targeted Therapies

Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria
Dallas, TX
October 24, 2009

Conference Overview

Summary and Purpose

CNE-, ACPE-, and CME-Certified Symposium

This activity is presented by Physicians’ Education Resource in conjunction with US Oncology/Oncology Today.

Over the past few years, advances in the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies have improved survival outcomes in cancer patients across the spectrum. Besides chemotherapeutic and radiation approaches, these new treatment paradigms often incorporate novel biologic agents with unique class effects related to their mechanisms of action. These targeted drugs are beginning to be used in earlier treatment phases of disease for longer durations of time. Supportive care therapy and improvement of quality of life can significantly influence patient outcome directly or ameliorate the completion of full courses of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biologic therapy. It is imperative that oncology professionals involved in the day-to-day care of cancer patients recognize these properties and incorporate complementary supportive care treatments to manage the complications of cancer therapy.

The purpose of the Second Annual Symposium for Nurses and Pharmacists Specializing in Oncology: Assessing and Managing Side Effects in the Era of Targeted Therapies is to educate oncology nurses and pharmacists on the state-of-the-art treatment options for effective management of the cancer-related and treatment-related complications. All professionals involved in cancer care need to be involved in recognizing potential complications of a prescribed treatment regimen and prophylactically prevent treatment-related adverse events in order to improve patient compliance and cancer-related outcomes. Participants will learn about advances in the identification and management of chemotherapy-induced conditions; significant time will be focused on recognizing and managing targeted agent-related class effects. Pharmacogenomics and the advent of individualized therapy will also be introduced.

Target Audience

This educational program is directed primarily towards community-based nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, and physician assistants interested in supportive care issues in oncology. It is expected the audience will be very diverse in their knowledge of the subject matter. The program is designed with this in mind and will briefly cover some basic concepts and review current practice standards as background before addressing new concepts, data and information.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this symposium, you should be able to:

  • Assess cutaneous complications and fatigue related to targeted therapy
  • Discuss class effect toxicities associated with mTOR inhibitors
  • Outline the management of infusion reactions
  • Describe strategies for ameliorating cancer pain 
  • Describe the in vivo mechanisms of action of agents targeting the EGFR and mTOR
  • Evaluate the role of targeted agents used in bone marrow transplantation and the complications associated with the use of those agents

Educational Grants

An educational grant for this activity was provided by:


  1. Genentech BioOncology
  2. Novartis Oncology