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Case Studies in Oncology Vol. 9, No. 2

Release Date: November 18, 2008
Expiration Date: November 18, 2009

Publication Overview

Author

Weijing Sun, MD

Overview and Purpose

Pancreatic cancer remains a clinical management challenge, with a 1-year overall survival rate of < 20% for patients diagnosed with advanced disease receiving standard antimetabolite chemotherapy. The addition of targeted agents, including inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), in combination with standard antimetabolite therapy has yielded modest benefits in some patients; however, there is an urgent need to develop improved treatment regimens for patients with pancreatic cancer through clinical trials research.

The purpose of this activity is to inform medical oncologists of recent data on targeted agents for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer and to outline clinical trial options for these patients.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for medical oncologists involved in the care of patients with pancreatic cancer. No specific skills or knowledge other than a basic training in oncology is required for successful participation in this activity.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this educational activity, you should be able to:

  • Review the clinical benefit of targeting EGFR in advanced pancreatic cancer
  • Discuss the safety of combining gemcitabine with agents targeting angiogenesis and EGFR in advanced pancreatic cancer
  • Discuss the role of combining EGFR and VEGF inhibition in the management of pancreatic cancer

Instructions for Participation

  1. Read the following information before entering the educational activity.
  2. Complete the Pretest.
  3. Study the educational activity.
  4. Complete the CME test.
  5. Answer the evaluation questions.
  6. After successful completion of the CME test and evaluation, you will receive your certificate of credit online.

CME credit will be granted for only 1 form of participation, either online or via the printed publication.

Read all of the conditions in the Activity Terms box below. You must accept the Activity Terms in order to continue:

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It is the policy of Physicians’ Education Resource to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. As an organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Physicians’ Education Resource requires everyone who is in a position to control the content of an educational activity, including spouses/partners, to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. The ACCME defines “relevant financial relationships” as financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that create a conflict of interest. Physicians’ Education Resource has implemented a mechanism to identify and resolve all conflicts of interest prior to the activity.

Weijing Sun, MD
Research Funding – Genentech, Inc.
Paid Consultant – Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Speaker’s Bureau – Amgen; Genentech, Inc.; sanofi-aventis U.S.

PER Editorial Staff
No relevant relationships to disclose

This CME activity might include discussion of investigational and/or unlabeled uses of drugs. If the activity includes discussion of investigational and/or unlabeled uses of a drug, specific information is located on the title page. Please refer to the full prescribing information for each drug discussed in this online newsletter for FDA-approved dosing, indications, and warnings.

Commercial Support
An educational grant for this activity was provided by Genentech BioOncology.

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Illustration

Computed tomography scans of a patient with pancreatic cancer prior to treatment with gemcitabine/bevacizumab/cetuximab (upper panel) and after 18 months of therapy (lower panel). The pretreatment scan reveals a mass in the uncinate process of the head of the pancreas that measured 31.5 mm × 27.4 mm on ultrasound. The posttreatment scan reveals a partial response in the pancreatic mass, which measured 12 mm.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this activity are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor, supporter, or publisher. Although great care has been taken in compiling and checking the information given in this activity to ensure accuracy, the authors and Physicians’ Education Resource and its servants or agents shall not be responsible or in any way liable for the continued currency of the information or for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this activity, whether arising from negligence or otherwise howsoever or for any consequences arising therefrom.

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©Copyright 2008 by Physicians’ Education Resource. No material may be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form, without written permission from the publisher.

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Editor, Case Studies in Oncology
Physicians’ Education Resource
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