COURSE DESCRIPTION

he Association of Physician Assistants in Oncology (APAO) is pleased to present the 13th Annual APAO Conference and APAO's Best of ASCO® Conference*.

    The 13th Annual APAO Conference runs from Friday, October 8 through Sunday, October 10. It will present comprehensive clinical and surgical approaches in a variety of oncology topics to enhance your oncology expertise and help to improve your patient outcomes. Attendees will have a choice of general sessions or optional workshops on Friday, and concurrent sessions to choose from on Saturday.

    A separate pre-conference, APAO’s Best of ASCO® Conference*, will be held on Thursday, October 7 and will present cutting edge, clinically relevant breakthroughs that were presented at the May 2010 ASCO® Annual Meeting for those who may have missed it this year. This session is ideal for anyone who wants to know about the latest research findings in oncology from the world’s largest oncology conference. It is open to all healthcare practitioners and researchers, and offers a separate registration fee for those who may only be able to attend this event.

    This year’s events are scheduled in beautiful Amelia Island, Florida. Situated along 13 miles of pristine, picturesque Atlantic coastline, Amelia Island is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands along the eastern U.S. seaboard. Amelia Island was once a vibrant Victorian village by the sea. It also owns the unique distinction of being the only U.S. city to have once been under the domain of eight different nations; and is still known as the Isle of 8 Flags.

    Today, Amelia Island is a seaside retreat for nature lovers and those who thrive on an abundance of sun, sand and outdoor sports. Visitors will also encounter a wealth of fine dining, and a variety of interesting shops and museums to browse as they stroll the cobblestone streets in the heart of historic Fernandina Beach, Florida. You’ll surely have an enjoyable, as well as educational, time where old southern charm meets state-of-the-art facilities and comfort. To learn more about the area’s amenities please visit http://www.ameliaisland.com/area-services.

OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS

    An End of Life Care workshop will be held on Friday morning and will cover counseling patients and family members; maintaining hope; and strategies for healthcare providers to sustain balance in their work environment.
    The Advanced Practice Professionals in Research workshop will be held on Friday afternoon and will enable attendees to learn from leading experts on how to focus on key elements when conducting and conveying research, including: literature reviews, developing the research question into a research method, writing reviewerfriendly grants, and public speaking tips to better convey your research findings.

TARGET AUDIENCE

    These conferences are designed for physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), physicians (MDs/FPs) and nurses (RNs/LPNs) who care for patients with cancer in a clinical, surgical or research setting. Content will be geared to advanced practice professionals.

CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES

• Review, summarize, and interpret advances and implement changes in the treatment of: breast cancer, gastro-intestinal cancer, lung cancer, hematologic malignancies, genitourinary cancers, and head and neck cancer; utilizing information presented at the 2010 ASCO® Annual Meeting.*
• Discuss effects of clinical quality measures and reimbursement.

• Examine trends associated with oncology healthcare.
• Incorporate the latest information about toxicity management for targeted agents.
• Review risk stratification of acute myelogenous leukemia.
• Discuss evidence-based trials leading to establishment of breast conservation therapy.
• Identify a patient at risk for a hypercoagulable state.
• Review melanoma treatments including pros and cons of isolated limb profusion.
• Compare novel therapies for advanced neuroendocrine tumors.
• Recite the current indications for various treatments for advanced colorectal cancer.
• Compare and contrast advanced treatments for metastatic bone disease.
• Discuss prognosis and management of myelodysplastic syndrome.
• Explain the fundamental concepts of imaging in oncology.
• Discuss when a referral should be initiated for pain management.
• Review latest guidelines for the management of fever and neutropenia.
• Discuss common measures for depression and palliative care for patients with cancer.
• Identify patients at risk for oncologic emergencies and appropriate steps to take.
• Understand molecular mechanisms of action in oncology therapies.
• Describe evaluation and treatment for patients with multiple myeloma.
• List updates in lung cancer staging and procedures.
• Compare established and new treatments for bladder cancer.
• Apply supportive care therapies and techniques for patients with metastatic disease.

• Explain the role of mid-level practitioners in the continuum of care for patients with cancer.
• Review the spectrum of supportive services available to patients and families, including financial, nutritional, prescription and spiritual support.
• Identify key elements of palliative care.
• Identify ways in which patients and clinicians wrestle with the idea of hope in the context of advanced illness.
• Define provider burnout and describe its warning signs.
• Detail effective and ineffective coping strategies.
• List ways to organize and implement provider support initiatives.

• Discuss systematic error in published research and threats to study validity.
• Review quick calculation methods in assessing the results reported in randomized controlled clinical trials.
• Provide practical advice to "keep up" with the pace and amount of new clinical information.
• Describe six questions that grant reviewers want to answer when critiquing your grant application.
• Recognize critical "red flags" and "reviewer-helpers" in each grant application section.
• Describe the most common reasons why grant applications are not funded.
• Define how to formulate a research question.
• List types of research methods.
• Recite how to select an appropriate research method.
• Identify the basics of organizing and presenting.
• Create tools and techniques to simplify the presentation process.

*A program licensed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology®