ACCREDITATION STATEMENT
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education activities for physicians.
CREDIT DESIGNATION STATEMENT
The AACR has designated this live activity for a maximum of 23.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
CLAIMING (CME) CREDIT
Physicians and other health care professionals seeking AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM for this live continuing medical education activity must complete the CME Request for Credit Survey below by Wednesday, December 12, 2012. Your CME certificate will be sent to you by email after the completion of the activity.
STATEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL NEED, TARGET AUDIENCE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Racial and ethnic disparities in cancer rates are well documented. Research shows that individuals from racial/ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage diseases that might have been treated more effectively or cured if diagnosed earlier. For example, the rate of new cancer cases in the US is highest among black men, followed by white, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native men. In comparison, for women, the rate of new cancer cases is highest among white women, followed by black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women. Death rates are highest among black women and men, followed by white, American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women and men.
Data suggest that access to quality care contributes to disparities in cancer risk, treatment and survival. Cultural beliefs, as well as financial and physical barriers are some of the issues that prevent individuals or groups from obtaining effective health care. However, other factors also play a major role. Among these factors are health literacy of patients from medically underserved populations, genetics and genomics, availability of biospecimens from underserved populations for research into more targeted and appropriate biomedical treatments, differences in pain diagnosis and palliative care, lifestyle and behavioral factors, variations in obesity and tobacco use, tumor biology, the role of inflammation in cancer, screening policies, comorbidities, environmental exposure and risk, quality of and response to therapy, and post-therapeutic surveillance.
To reduce the burden of cancer due to health disparities, there is a need to educate physicians on the role of the various factors involved in creating health disparities and how they impact the diagnosis, treatment, response and survival of cancer patients from racial/ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations. This conference will bring together a wide range of physicians, scientists, health professionals and health care leaders to discuss the latest findings in their fields, to foster collaborative interdisciplinary interactions and partnerships, and to stimulate the development of new research and clinical practices aimed to reduce cancer health disparities and provide the most appropriate care for a diverse patient population. After participating in this CME activity, physicians should be able to:
- Establish effective and appropriate approaches for increasing the participation of ethnic/racial minorities and those in medically underserved populations in clinical studies and biobanking efforts in order to develop better therapeutic strategies.
- Recognize different approaches to reducing health disparities with regard to colorectal cancer;
- Assess the link between obesity and cancer to improve prevention, early detection and treatment options;
- Evaluate and implement tools and strategies for pain diagnosis and palliative care that are appropriate for different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and at-risk populations;
- Articulate scientific advances in the area of tobacco cessation and control to reduce the global burden of tobacco-related disease;
- Identify the role of viral infection in cancer risk and global health disparities;
- Explain how differences in the genome and epigenome can define subgroups of disease and lead to novel approaches to treatment.
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
It is the policy of the AACR that the information presented at AACR CME activities will be unbiased and based on scientific evidence. To help participants make judgments about the presence of bias, the AACR will provide information that Scientific Program Committee members and speakers have disclosed about financial relationships they have with commercial entities that produce or market products or services related to the content of this CME activity. This disclosure information will be made available in the Program/Proceedings of this conference.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF FINANCIAL OR OTHER SUPPORT
This activity is supported by grants and will be disclosed at the activity.
QUESTIONS ABOUT CME?
Please contact the Office of CME at (215) 440-9300 or
cme@aacr.org.