7:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:15 a.m.

Biomarkers in Solid Organ Transplantation—A Personalized Approach, Daniel R. Salomon, MD, The Scripps Research Institute^®

New treatment options for complex medical conditions such as end-stage liver, kidney and heart disease are emerging at an increasing rate. The standard of care is changing as new technologies and treatments become available. In the right circumstances, clinicians can identify high-risk patients and offer early intervention in an effort to avoid end-stage organ failure. In order to remain at the forefront of innovative disease management, providers need to be aware of new breakthroughs in clinical research, updated evidence-based therapies and new practices that impact organ allocation. This presentation will discuss the use of evidence-based biomarkers, especially in regard to kidney and heart failure.

Objectives:

1. Define the purpose for identifying biomarkers for specific chronic diseases.
2. Discuss the use of evidence-based biomarkers, especially in regard to kidney and heart failure.

9:15 a.m.

Timely Referral of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Patients for Kidney Transplant Evaluation—Clinical and Financial Implications, Abhinav Humar, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Kidney transplantation is the most desired and cost-effective modality of renal replacement therapy for patients with irreversible chronic kidney failure. With implementation of early education, timely referral to a transplant center for evaluation coincident with creation of vascular access and identification of potential living donors, early transplantation can be an option for substantially more patients with chronic kidney disease. This presentation will discuss the importance of timely referral of ESRD patients for kidney transplant evaluation and its clinical and financial implications.

Objectives:

1. Discuss factors associated with late referrals and how they impact outcomes.
2. State potential benefits of timely referral to a nephrologist.
3. Identify effective strategies for late-referral patients.
4. Review clinical practice guidelines regarding indications for referral of chronic kidney disease patients to a nephrologist.

10:00 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.

Immunosuppression—New Options on the Horizon, Kiran K. Dhanireddy, MD, University of Southern California

Immunosuppression management post liver and kidney transplantation has evolved substantially. With ongoing clinical trials, acute rejection is typically easy to manage, and the current challenge is balancing the risk of rejection with the risk of drug toxicity. The focus of post-transplant management has shifted to addressing and avoiding either the recurrent underlying disease or the long-term complications associated with immunosuppression. This presentation will address effective use of the most updated protocols for immunosuppression in liver and kidney transplantation.

Objectives:

1. Discuss effective use of the most updated protocols for immunosuppression in liver and kidney transplantation.
2. State the importance of establishing an individualized immunosuppression regimen post kidney transplant.

11:15 a.m.

Intestinal Failure—Indications for Transplant, Cal S. Matsumoto, MD, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

Intestinal transplants remain the most challenging and least frequently performed vascularized intra-abdominal organ transplants. However, over the last one-and-a-half decades, intestinal transplant outcomes have significantly improved, and the number of transplants performed annually has steadily increased. This presentation will discuss the advantages of a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to treating intestinal failure, the indications for transplant and how a team can work together to achieve optimal patient outcomes.

Objectives:

1. Define intestinal failure and recognize potential causes.
2. Explain the multiple approaches to treating patients with intestinal failure.
3. Describe the benefits of an intestinal-failure-program approach that combines the expertise of both rehabilitation and transplantation.

12:00 p.m.

Lunch (provided)—Dessert in Exhibit Area

1:15 p.m.

Pediatric Heart Transplantation—A Multidisciplinary Approach, Justin Yeh, MD , Lucile Packard Children's Hospital

While the care for and management of pediatric heart transplant patients has improved markedly, there remains one large limiting factor that impacts transplantation in pediatric cardiology: donor availability. With the limited availability of donor hearts, the need has arisen for therapies with which to bridge the patient to transplantation, allowing longer wait times. Pediatric patients who have undergone or are awaiting heart transplantation often have complex medical issues, and a true multidisciplinary approach is required before, during, and after the transplant. This presentation will discuss the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and the current therapies and management strategies available to pediatric patients on the wait list for a heart transplant.

Objectives:

1. Discuss the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for pediatric patients on the heart transplant wait list.
2. Identify strategies and current technologies available for pediatric heart failure and pediatric heart transplantation.

2:00 p.m.

Is There an Ethically Acceptable Threshold for Live Donor Risk? Michael Abecassis, MD, MBA, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

Objectives:

1. List issues framing the ethical debate surrounding an acceptable threshold for live donor risk.
2. Recognize ethically acceptable thresholds for live donor risk.
3. Describe types of complications to include preventable, non- preventable, stratified variables, physical, psychosocial and financial.
4. Review the classification of complications versus stratification risk for live donors.

3:00 p.m.

Break

3:15 p.m.

Islet Cell Transplantation—The New Standard of Care, Andrew Posselt, MD, PhD, FACS, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center

Just as clinical research leads to targeted therapies that might prevent the need for organ transplantation, research also provides alternative transplant methodologies. Patients who meet the criteria for pancreas transplantation may have new alternatives if islet cell transplantation is approved as a standard of care. This presentation will discuss how islet cell transplantation offers hope as a future alternative to pancreas transplantation for those at risk for comorbid chronic disease caused by poorly controlled type 1 diabetes.

Objectives:

1. Discuss the potential use of islet cell transplantation as a new standard of care.
2. State key factors in choosing islet cell transplantation as an alternative to pancreas transplantation.

4:00 p.m.

Baby Boomers and Hepatitis C, John P. Roberts, MD, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center

An aging population of adults with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is behind an increasing demand for liver transplantation in the United States. The disease can cause serious health problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis and even liver cancer. Hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver cancer and the primary reason for liver transplants. Over the coming decade, with the increased age of those infected with HCV, the transplant community will be challenged to reconsider current treatment plans given the projected increase in liver transplant demand. This presentation will discuss the increased demand for transplantation that is driven by the development of liver cancer in baby boomers with HCV and effective therapeutic approaches for treating this virus.

Objectives:

1. Recognize the impact of hepatitis C on liver transplantation.
2. Explain the increased demand for transplantation that is driven by the development of liver cancer in baby boomers with HCV.
3. Review effective therapeutic approaches for treating HCV-reinfection after liver transplant.

5:00–7:00 p.m.

Complimentary Get-Acquainted Reception
Join your colleagues for hors d’oeuvres and beverages. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to gather information and ideas from exhibitors regarding the management of complex medical conditions.

7:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

The Role of Palliative Care in Pre- and Post-Stem Cell Transplantation, Jacob J. Strand, MD, Mayo Clinic 

Palliative care focuses on relieving suffering and supporting best possible quality of life for adults and children living with serious illness. Doctors, nurses, social workers and other specialists caring for patients with chronic serious illness need to ensure that palliative care is provided at the same time as all other appropriate medical treatments. Although there has been enormous expansion of hospital palliative-care programs, not all hospitals have palliative-care teams, and workforce shortages, combined with tenuous funding, may limit the spread and sustainability of existing programs. This presentation will discuss the barriers and advantages of individualized palliative-care treatment for patients with complications from underlying cancers and the associated therapies.

Objective:

1. Describe the advantages and barriers of individualized palliative care treatment for patients with complications from underlying cancers and the associated therapies.

9:15 a.m.

The Evolving Role of Maintenance Therapy After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT), Michael R. Bishop, MD, The University of Chicago Medicine

Relapse is a devastating event for patients with hematologic cancers treated with HSCT. Treatment options are limited, so maintenance therapy offers the possibility of delaying or avoiding disease recurrence, but its role remains unclear in most conditions we transplant. This presentation will provide an overview of minimal residual disease (MRD) measurement in hematologic malignancies and the applicability of MRD-based, post-transplant interventions.

Objectives:

1. Review current knowledge of maintenance therapy and strategies designed to prevent relapse.
2. Describe the appropriate use of maintenance therapy posttransplant.

10:00 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.

Reduced-Intensity Transplantation (RIT) for Hemoglobinopathy and Other Nonmalignant Disorders—The Pros and Cons, Ami Shah, MD, UCLA Health System

Transplantation of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells can cure several nonmalignant disorders in children. Transplantation with reduced intensity preparation might achieve the same goals but with less toxicity. Reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens have the potential to decrease transplantation-related morbidity and mortality. This presentation will discuss the pros and cons of RIT and provide an overview of the process, indications, and outcomes of this approach.

Objectives:

1. Discuss the risks and benefits of RIT.
2. Explain the process, indications and outcomes of RIT.
3. Describe the role of RIT in the treatment of older patients.

11:00 a.m.

Nursing Coordination in Patient Transition From the Transplant Team to the ICU Team, Christina Mielke, MBA, PHN, RN, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview

The care of critically ill patients undergoing HSCT is laden with challenges, and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is inevitable for some HSCT recipients. Nurses can positively impact outcomes and decrease ICU admissions through early recognition of and intervention for complications expected throughout the course of transplantation. Issues such as an increased need for specialty education and training along with integration of specialties are necessary to achieve optimal outcomes. This presentation will provide a basic overview of the HSCT process and will outline the complications that may necessitate transfer to a higher level of care and the specialized skills in the intensive-care setting.

Objectives:

1. List the potential complications post hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) that might require transfer to an intensive care setting.
2. Describe the specific characteristics of the collaborative role between the transplant unit nurse, and the ICU nurse when treating HSCT patients in the medical ICU.

11:45 a.m.

Luncheon Presentation—An Overview of Optum™ (optional; lunch provided)

1:30 p.m.

Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD)—New Strategy for Prevention, Jeanne M. Palmer, MD, Mayo Clinic

HSCT is the primary form of treatment for many patients with blood disorders. Despite the therapeutic benefits of HSCT, half of all patients who receive transplants from a related donor (allogeneic HCT) develop acute GVHD and it remains a challenging complication that affects a large proportion of patients who receive stem-cell transplants. This presentation will discuss treatment strategies for patients suffering from GVHD.

Objective:

1. Discuss treatment strategies for patients suffering from acute or chronic steroid-refractory GVHD while maintaining the graft-versus-tumor effect to avoid a potential rise in relapse-related mortality.

Multiple Myeloma—New Therapies for an Old Paradigm, William I. Bensinger, MD, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

The treatment of multiple myeloma is complex because of rapid advances in stem cell transplantation, medications and better supportive care, which have led to improved survival for patients with multiple myeloma. As survival rates improve, knowledge about symptoms, treatments, and patients concerns from the premalignant to the relapsed and refractory stage are essential to ensure patients achieve optimal survival. This presentation will discuss the importance of ongoing health maintenance and treatment options with new therapies for multiple myeloma.

Objectives:

1. Review treatment options for multiple myeloma and their associated complications.
2. Discuss the importance of ongoing health maintenance treatments and new therapies for multiple myeloma.

HLA Mismatched Allogeneic Cellular Therapy (Microtransplantation), Preet M. Chaudhary, MD, PhD, University of Southern California

Despite best current therapies, approximately half of patients with acute myeloid leukemia in first complete remission with no HLA-identical donors experience relapse. Micro-transplantation as a post-remission therapy may improve outcomes and avoid GVHD in patients with acute myeloid leukemia in first complete remission. This presentation will discuss whether HLA-mismatched stem-cell micro-transplantation used as a post-remission therapy in this  patient population will improve survival and avoid graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

Objectives:

1. Analyze the concept of microtransplantation.
2. Review current clinical data related to microtransplantation in the treatment of AML.

4:15–5:00 p.m.

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Alix E. Seif, MD, MPH, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Determining which patients should undergo transplant for ALL in first remission remains a challenge. New immunological approaches to treating refractory ALL are entering the treatment arena. As these treatments progress, transplant professionals will need to know new and current data to measure risk, approaches to improving outcomes in high-risk patients, and immunological approaches that can be used both pre- and post-transplant to prevent relapse. This presentation will discuss best practices in ALL transplant, including when to refer ALL patients, what these patients’ chances are of success and new treatments that may improve outcomes.

Objectives:

1. Discuss treatment options and best practices in high-risk ALL patients and the associated outcomes.
2. Evaluate the optimal time to refer ALL patients for transplant.
3. Explore current data to measure risk of relapse in ALL patients.

7:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m.

Surviving Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT)—Quality of Survival, Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, City of Hope

Advances in transplantation techniques and supportive care strategies have resulted in a significant improvement in survival. However, HCT survivors are at risk of developing long-term complications, such as endocrinopathies, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiopulmonary compromise, and subsequent malignancies. These complications have a direct impact on the morbidity and mortality experienced by HCT survivors. Two thirds of the HCT survivors develop at least one chronic health condition; while one fifth develop severe/life-threatening conditions. HCT patients who have survived at least 5 years are at a 4-fold to 9-fold increased risk of late mortality as long as 30 years from HCT, producing an estimated 30 percent lower life expectancy compared with the general population. The high burden of morbidity experienced by HCT survivors makes it critically important that there be standardized follow-up of HCT survivors at high risk for post-HCT complications.

Objectives:

1. State common late effects of HCT.
2. Describe sub-populations at increased risk of developing these complications.
3. Address the magnitude of premature morbidity and mortality in this population.
4. Address the importance of transition of care from transplant setting to long-term follow-up clinics.

9:00 a.m.

Realizing the Promise of Precision Medicine for Certain Cancers, John F. DiPersio, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine

Our ability to study the fundamental molecular profiles within individual tumors has revolutionized our basic understanding of the biology of malignant disease. Precision medicine is a phrase that is often used to describe how genetic information about a person’s disease is being used to diagnose or treat their disease. This presentation will provide information on which genetic and other molecular alterations can predict how tumors will respond to targeted drugs, why some patients become resistant to drugs, and how that impacts the treatment strategy.

Objectives:

1. Describe how genetic changes can impact design treatments.
2. Discuss the role of precision medicine in defining individual patterns of disease and treatment strategies.
3. List three cancer diagnoses where precision medicine has been developed and demonstrated efficacy.
4. Review the arguments that support the use of personalized or precision therapy for specific forms of cancer.

10:00 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.

Update on Malignant Melanoma, Karl Lewis, MD, University of Colorado Denver

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. Melanoma accounts for less than 5 percent of all skin cancer cases but a majority of skin cancer deaths, as it is the most serious form of skin cancer. There is ongoing research on better prevention, early detection and treatment strategies for melanoma. This presentation will provide information on the importance of early intervention and key factors in choosing a therapeutic approach for the patient with advanced melanoma.

Objectives:

1. Provide an overview of treatment options for malignant melanoma.
2. State the key factors in choosing a therapeutic approach for the patient with advanced melanoma.

11:15 a.m.

Immunotherapy: Revolutionizing the Way We Treat Cancer, Hatim Husain, MD, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center

In the last few decades, immunotherapy has become an important part of treating several types of cancer using many different approaches. As researchers have learned more about the body’s immune system in recent years, they have begun to figure out how it might be used to treat cancer more effectively. This presentation will provide information on the different types of immunotherapy that are being used to treat specific forms of cancer.

Objectives:

1. Discuss types of immunotherapy now being used to treat cancer.
2. List three cancer diagnoses where immunotherapy has the potential to significantly improve survival rates in patients.
3. Explain the value of immunotherapy therapy for specific forms of cancer.

12:15 p.m.

Lunch (provided)—Dessert in Exhibit Area

1:30 p.m.

Closing the Gap in Transfusion-Related Iron Overload, Vasilios Berdoukas, MBBS, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

More than two decades after transfusion-related iron overload became a treatable condition, and despite the availability of effective iron-chelating therapies, many patients at risk for the condition are not being treated for a variety of reasons. Patients with iron overload often go undetected. Many of those who have received a critical burden of iron from transfusions are not being recognized for that risk, and many are not getting appropriate clinical monitoring and follow-up. This presentation will provide information about iron overload as a long-term complication of repeated red blood cell transfusion and recommended treatment for those at risk.

Objectives:

1. Identify those at risk for iron overload.
2. Discuss complications associated with transfusion-related iron overload.
3. Describe available treatment options for iron overload.

2:30–3:30 p.m.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)—What Is on the Horizon? Bruno Medeiros, MD, Stanford University Medical Center

Significant advances have been achieved in understanding and treating MDS in the past decade. The classification and risk stratification of MDS continues to evolve in light of such advances. However, treatment options remain limited, and novel therapeutic strategies are needed. This presentation will address current risk stratification models and their roles in treatment decision-making for MDS, as well as what is on the horizon for novel therapies.

Objectives:

1. Identify the current risk stratification models in MDS.
2. State the role of risk stratification in treatment decision-making for MDS.
3. Examine novel therapies for MDS.