In support of improving patient care, ASCO 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 health-care team. The Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held virtually from January 15–17, 2021, offers credit for physicians, but all oncology health-care professionals are encouraged to participate, and they may be able to apply their participation for credit through their own licensing organization.
AMA Credit Designation Statement—Physicians
ASCO designates this enduring material for a maximum of 23 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
AAPA/NCCPA Credit Designation Statement—Physician Assistants
Physician Assistants may claim a maximum of 23 Category 1 credits for completing this activity. NCCPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society.
All nonphysician attendees are welcome to submit a request for a Certificate of Participation, which may enable nonphysicians to apply their meeting participation toward relicensure. Please note, however, that all final decisions regarding certificate acceptance will be made by the licensing organization to which the certificate is submitted.
Maintenance of Certification
American Board of Internal-Medicine: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 23 Medical Knowledge Maintenance of Certification (MOC) points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) MOC program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
Points will be awarded if the Meeting Feedback Form is completed by the deadline (April 19, 2021) with detailed responses that demonstrate knowledge gained at the meeting and how that knowledge may apply to practice.
Other American Board of Medical Specialties Member Boards MOC Approval Statement: Through the American Board of Medical Specialties’ (ABMS) ongoing commitment to increase access to practice relevant Continuing Certification Activities through the ABMS Continuing Certification Directory, 2021 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium has met the requirements as a MOC Part II CME Activity (apply toward general CME requirement) for the following ABMS Member Boards: Nuclear Medicine, Radiology, and Thoracic Surgery.
Note: If a Member Board has not deemed this activity for MOC approval as an accredited CME activity, this activity may count toward an ABMS Member Board’s general CME requirement (only). Please refer directly to your Member Board’s MOC Part II Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment Program Requirements.
Educational Needs
The treatment of gastrointestinal cancers requires a broad range of knowledge regarding new and established therapies, including newly approved therapies, effective use of biomarkers and multimodality therapy including surgery, interventional, and systemic therapies and radiation in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. It is a complex landscape that requires continuous education. Unfortunately, many clinicians report feeling underprepared in this rapidly changing environment. Data also indicate that a variety of gastrointestinal cancers are undertreated or not treated according to modern guidelines, often resulting in poorer outcomes for patients across the spectrum of care. This year’s symposium is designed to address educational needs in the areas of multidisciplinary care, novel scientific discoveries, survivorship, current controversies in approaches to care, care equity, the care of patients in the context of the novel coronavirus pandemic, and many more.
Learning Objectives
Upon participation in this activity, attendees will be better able to:
- Collaborate across different specialties and with all members of the oncology care team to deliver effective and patient-centered treatment for patients with gastrointestinal cancers
- Consider the benefits and challenges of multimodality therapy in a number of gastrointestinal malignancies, including appropriate patient selection and optimal treatment sequencing
- Review approaches to palliation and supportive management in gastrointestinal cancers and apply appropriate techniques to patient care
- Evaluate the role of targeted therapy and indicated testing strategies in the care of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies
- Discuss current controversies in local-regional management and perioperative approaches to controlling disease in patients with gastrointestinal cancers
- Develop strategies to improve equity in the care of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies.
Disclaimer and Unlabeled Usage Statement: The information presented is that of the contributing faculty and presenters and does not necessarily represent the views ofASCO or any named company or organization providing financial support. Specific therapies discussed may not be approved and/or specified for use as indicated by the faculty or presenters. Therefore, before presenting any medication, please review the complete prescribing information including indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and adverse effects.
© 2020. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
