The series will highlight cutting-edge treatments & therapies in pediatrics. Developed by Children’s Hospital Boston Department of Medicine & Surgery in conjunction with Physician Relations. Sponsored and accredited by MESG in accordance with ACCME Essentials, Policies and Standards and other regulatory guidelines.

Update on Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Lewis B. Silverman, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Assistant in Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), Children’s Hospital Boston
Director, Jimmy Fund Clinic, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Expiration Date: April 17, 2007

Program Learning Objectives:

• Give examples of different initial clinical manifestations, both common and uncommon, in the presentation of childhood leukemia.
• Describe initial diagnostic studies important in the evaluation of the child with suspected ALL.
  Cite the early management strategies commonly employed for children diagnosed with ALL.
• Identify and discuss those factors associated with a poor prognosis and those associated with a favorable prognosis in children with ALL.
• Identify cure rates and adverse effects associated with currently available therapies, and appreciate (give examples of) recent advances in the treatment of ALL.

Program Purpose

The leukemias make up approximately one third of all pediatric malignancies. Most (80%) leukemia is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 17% is acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and the remaining 3% are rare forms of leukemia. The cure rate for ALL is approximately 80%. Physicians who care for children with leukemia should be aware of new diagnostic techniques and new medical therapies to treat children with ALL.

This program is intended for:
Primary Care Physicians, Pediatricians, Pediatric Specialists, Pediatric Sub-specialists, Pediatric Nurses, Pediatric Pharmacists

Materials and Resources

• Coordinator Kit
• Slide Handout for TiP-TV Coordinators
• Request an Appointment with a Children’s Hospital Boston Specialist

Accreditation Statement:

Medical Education Solutions Group (MESG) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

MESG designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 category 1 credit per session towards the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the activity.

Credit Designation

Nurses
Approved for 1.2 contact hours of continuing education for RNs, LPNs, LVNs, and NPs. This program is cosponsored with Medical Education Collaborative, Inc. (MEC) and Medical Education Solutions Group.  MEC is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.  Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 12990, for 1.2 contact hours.

For questions regarding the nursing or pharmacist accreditation, please contact Medical Educational Collaborative at 303.420.3252 or e-mail inquire@meccme.org.

Nurse Practitioners
MESG is accredited by ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians, and will provide nurse practitioners who successfully complete the activity with a Statement of Participation indicating that the activity was designated for 1 AMA PRA category 1 credit.

System Requirements

Operating System
Microsoft® Windows® 98, NT, 2000, XP, ME

Browser/PDF Viewer
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6.0
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® or Adobe Reader

Media Player
Windows Media® Player 7.1 or higher, OR
RealPlayer® Basic 8 or higher

Downloads/Upgrades
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Windows Media Player
RealPlayer
Adobe Reader

Connection Type
High bandwidth (300k) is strongly recommended
Low bandwidth (100k) results in less than optimal quality
56k dial-up/modem is not sufficient
The Frequently Asked Questions link (Getting Started section) provides additional information.

How to Receive CME/CE Credit

To earn CME/CE credit, please complete an initial online registration. Then view the activity and complete the evaluation and post-test, answering 70 percent of the post-test questions correctly.

Participants who mail or fax their evaluation and post-test should allow four to six weeks from receipt of forms for delivery of certificates. Please note that participants can only receive credit for viewing a session once.

Disclaimer

The information provided at this CME/CE activity is for continuing education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician relative to diagnostic and treatment options of a specific patient’s medical condition.

Faculty Disclosure
Lewis B. Silverman, MD has reported no real or apparent conflicts to report.

MESG Disclosure
The employees of Medical Education Solutions Group have no financial relationships to disclose.

MEC Disclosure
The employees of Medical Education Collaborative have no financial relationships to disclose.