MDS 2024: Let’s Overcome the Challenges
ASH Friday Satellite Symposium
December 6, 2024

Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
Grand Hall B
1 Market Place
San Diego, CA 92101

In-Person Registration

Virtual Registration

ACTIVITY OVERVIEW

The MDSF ASH 2024 Symposium will focus on challenges the MDS community faces in 2024. Progress has been made in understanding the biology, genetics and pathogenesis of MDS. Prognostication, and treatment strategies have been improved, but not satisfactorily. In 2024 we are still facing problems: Can we assess minimal residual disease? We are still debating regarding the recommended Hb threshold for RBC transfusions. The increasing role of inflammation in the disease pathogenesis, raises the question of anti-inflammatory treatment. The reports on germline mutations and their role in MDS in adulthood might change our genetic screening policy. Finally, we are still puzzled whether patients with higher-risk disease should be treated with hypomethylating agents only, as the only proven treatment, or additional therapy might improve the outcome. The symposium will highlight these challenges, and based on recent advances in the field, potential solutions will be presented and discussed.

AGENDA TOPICS

• Challenges in MDS – 2024
• Minimal residual disease (MRD) in MDS
• RBC transfusion policy – liberal or restrictive?
• Anti-inflammatory treatment in MDS
• Who should be screened for germline mutations?
• Treatment of higher-risk MDS
• Patient discussion session

TARGET AUDIENCE
This activity is designed for an audience of nurses, pharmacist, physicians, and physician associates.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Discuss MRD in MDS.
• Review the question of liberal vs restrictive RBC transfusion policy.
• Explain the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of the disease and the potential application of MDS anti-inflammatory treatment.
• Describe the germline mutations and the dilemma of whom of the family members or others should be screened for mutations.
• Identify whether to continue treating patients with HR-MDS with hypomethylating agents only or should we prefer combination treatments.
• Discuss scientific evidence with practical real-life issues focusing on LR and HR MDS.

FACULTY

Moshe Mittelman, MD – Symposium Co-Chair

Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine
Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
Tel-Aviv University Medical School
Tel-Aviv, Israel

Casey O’Connell, MD, FACP – Symposium Co-Chair

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Lawrence & Janice Kelly Chair in Hematology
Director, Gehr CURES Myeloid Malignancies Program
Jane Anne Nohl Division of Hematology
Keck School of Medicine, USC
Los Angeles, California, USA

Stephen Nimer, MD – MDSF Chairman

Director, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Miami, Florida, USA

Lionel Adès, MD, PhD

Université Paris Cité
Senior Hematology Department
Hopital Saint Louis
Paris, France

Rena Buckstein, MD – Symposium Co-Chair

Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Odette Cancer Center
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Aristoteles Giagounidis, MD

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas, USA

Jaroslaw Maciejewski, MD, PhD

Section Head
Experimental Hematology and Hematopoisesis
Cleveland Clinic
Taussig Cancer Center
Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Ghulam Mufti, DM, FRCP, FRCPath

Head of Department
Professor of Haemato-oncology
Haematological Medicine
King’s College London & King’s College Hospital
London, UK

Esther Oliva, MD

Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Magnus Tobiasson, MD, PhD

Karolinska Institute
Stockholm, Sweden

Lachelle Weeks, MD, PhD

Division of Leukemia and Center for Prevention of Progression
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

AGENDA
Co-Chairs: Casey O’Connell; Moshe Mittelman

ACCREDITATION

CE credit provided by AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare. 

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare and MDS. AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 3 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.

PHYSICIANS

AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare designates this live activity for a maximum of 3 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

NURSES

Credit being awarded: 3 ANCC contact hours

PHARMACISTS

AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare designates this continuing education activity for 3 contact hours.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS

AAPA Credit Designation Statement
AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare has been authorized by the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 3 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Disclosures
It is the policy of AKH Inc. to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, scientific rigor, and integrity in all of its continuing education activities. The author must disclose to the participants any significant relationships with ineligible companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in the activity or with the commercial supporter of this continuing education activity. Identified conflicts of interest are mitigated by AKH prior to accreditation of the activity. AKH planners and reviewers have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use and Investigational Product
This educational activity may include discussion of uses of agents that are investigational and/or unapproved by the FDA. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer
This course is designed solely to provide the healthcare professional with information to assist in his/her practice and professional development and is not to be considered a diagnostic tool to replace professional advice or treatment. The course serves as a general guide to the healthcare professional, and therefore, cannot be considered as giving legal, nursing, medical, or other professional advice in specific cases. AKH Inc. specifically disclaim responsibility for any adverse consequences resulting directly or indirectly from information in the course, for undetected error, or through participant’s misunderstanding of the content.

In-Person Registration

Virtual Registration