Nation's Experts in Hematologic Malignancies to Discuss Latest Treatment Advances and Examine Patient Cases during NCCN 12th Annual Congress

NCCN 12th Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies™ will be held October 6 - 7, 2017 in San Francisco, California, and features a new Nursing Forum.

News provided by

National Comprehensive Cancer Network

Sep 22, 2017, 10:15 ET

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., Sept. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7, 2017, more than 600 clinicians are expected to attend the National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) 12^th Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies™ at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square in San Francisco, Ca.

Moderated by Ranjana H. Advani, MD, Stanford Cancer Institute, and Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the 2017 congress includes 16 educational sessions featuring the latest advances in patient management for 14 cancer types, including the latest addition to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) for Myeloproliferative Neoplasms—Management of Polycythemia Vera and Essential Thrombocythemia.

"Each year, we develop a congress agenda that reflects the ongoing complexity of hematologic malignancies and how to manage them. This year, we have incorporated the latest data from national and international meetings, which will impact clinical care. Practicing physicians will get updates on recent advances and understand ongoing controversies and challenges in treatment," said Dr. Advani.

"The layout that we've created for this meeting allows faculty to focus on the emerging topics in hematologic malignancies and bring attendees up to speed on the most important advances from the last year," said Dr. Zelenetz, who will moderate the congress for the 11^th consecutive year.

According to Dr. Zelenetz, highlights of this year's agenda include treatment of disease-related complications in long-term survivors of Multiple Myeloma, the impact of the new World Health Organization (WHO) classification on clinical management of Lymphoma, and the emerging role of CAR T-cells in the management of hematologic malignancies.

Friday opens with a session on WHO classification of Lymphoma, followed by discussion of the latest treatment advances in Follicular Lymphoma and Hodgkin Lymphoma. NCCN Guidelines^® panel members will also explore case studies of patients with Lymphoma.

On Saturday, the agenda includes 13 educational sessions featuring patient case studies in Leukemia, as well as updates in management of Multiple Myeloma, Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, and Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Other sessions include key issues in survivorship, targeted therapy, and palliative and end of life care.

According to Dr. Zelenetz, the case discussions feature sophisticated practitioners sharing varied opinions and in a variety of disease types, which allows attendees to explore practical issues in patient management.

New to the program is the NCCN Nursing Forum: Advancing Oncology Nursing in Hematologic Malignancies™. Held on Friday, October 6, this program provides hematology/oncology nurses with comprehensive information for optimizing patient care in management of patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and Multiple Myeloma, and will also explore survivorship care after transplant.

"Much of the supportive care for patients with hematologic malignancies is provided by the nurses," said Dr. Advani. "Indeed, the new nursing forum will allow nurses to better understand the unique management aspects of these diseases, which will impact patient care."

For the full agenda, visit NCCN.org/hem.

The NCCN 12^th Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies™ is designed to meet the needs of hematologists, oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals who manage patients with hematologic malignancies. This program has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and ABIM/ABMS MOC for physicians and will award contact hours for nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®), a not-for-profit alliance of 27 leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.