ASPHO Corporate Forum Satellite Symposia

Seven satellite symposia will be offered during lunch and dinner hours during the ASPHO meeting at the Washington Renaissance Hotel. These independently managed, commercially supported events are open to registrants of the ASPHO 18th Annual Meeting. The programs have been reviewed by the ASPHO Program Committee and approved after determining that the material to be presented is balanced, scientifically valid, relevant to the audience and complementary to the official ASPHO program.

There is no fee to attend these events, but preregistration is required. Seating will be available on a first come, first served basis. Check for availability at the registration desk outside the session room.
 

Friday, May 13
7:00pm–9:00pm

von Willebrand Disease (VWD): 
Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment
Renaissance - Grand Ballroom South

Chair: Eric J. Werner, Professor of Pediatrics, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Norfolk, VA

Proper assessment and diagnosis of VWD is essential to choosing the optimal therapy. This activity will provide an overview of VWD including the latest scientific and discovery information, review the protocol for assessment of symptomatic bleeds, describe the various subtypes and highlight the implications for appropriate clinical management. It will explore a variety of treatment options, such as dosing by ristocetin cofactor activity or by FVIII activity and the role of prophylaxis with symptomatic VWD patients. By using interactive keypads, participants will learn about potential treatments and outcomes through case studies.

Friday, May 13
7:00pm – 9:00pm

Fine-Tuning Therapy in Pediatric ALL 
Renaissance - Grand Ballroom Central

Advances have been made in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in pediatric patients leading to significant improvements in complete remission rates and event-free survival.  Further improvements in the treatment of these patients will result from the clinical development of new chemical entities, enhancement of existing treatment protocols, and modifications in the formulation of currently available chemotherapeutic agents.  This symposium will assist hematologists in optimizing clinical application of existing chemotherapeutic approaches and provide information about new drug formulations on the horizon.
 

Supported by a grant from Enzon Pharmaceuticals

Saturday, May 14
12:30pm – 2:30pm

Challenging Cases in Relapsed or Refractory Pediatric Leukemia: Integrated Strategies 
Renaissance - Grand Ballroom South

Chair: Farid Boulad, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

The outlook for children diagnosed with leukemia continues to improve; however, 20% of patients with ALL and 50% of patients with AML face a poor prognosis. The care of these children involves a multidisciplinary team of specialists with a complex armamentarium that includes chemotherapy, transplantation, radiation therapy, supportive care, and psychosocial services. The treatment of these patients requires an interdisciplinary approach that balances difficult quality of life choices with the latest developments in therapeutics. The overall purpose of this symposium is to provide physicians who care for these pediatric ALL and AML patients with practice-based integrated strategies for optimizing outcomes. Three pairs of collaborators from leading pediatric leukemia programs will engage the audience in a discussion of challenging cases and collaborative approaches to care, including investigational and emerging treatment strategies.

Target Audience: Physicians interested in advancing their knowledge about the treatment of pediatric acute or refractory leukemias.

Supported by an educational grant from Genzyme Oncology, a business unit of Genzyme Corporation

Saturday, May 14
12:30pm – 2:30pm

The New Treatment Paradigm in the Management of Pediatric Anemias 
Renaissance - Grand Ballroom Central

The red cell anemia associated with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and thalassemia can often be effectively treated with transfusion therapy, increasing patient quality of life and reducing morbidity and mortality.  The positive clinical benefits of transfusion therapy have become increasingly apparent in patients with SCD and thalassemia, thus regularly scheduled transfusion therapy programs are being instituted at younger ages. Unfortunately, the clinical benefits of chronic transfusion therapy for SCD and thalassemia are often overshadowed by the inevitable build up of iron in the body.  Since there is no efficient mechanism for removal of excess body iron, toxic levels accumulate, resulting in a multitude of complications.  This program will address the need for updating physicians on current management strategies for SCD and thalassemia while also informing them of new iron chelation options in clinical development which have the potential to significantly impact their practices and the health of SCD and thalassemia patients under their care.

Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Novartis Oncology

Sunday, May 15
7:00pm – 9:00pm

Addressing Therapeutic Challenges in Hemophilia 
Renaissance - Renaissance Ballroom 

Over the last few decades there have been many advances in the management of hemophilia and as new information becomes available there is a constant need for education.  As patient management strategies evolve, physicians treating these patients must learn to properly evaluate and address the ongoing challenges that arise.  This session will help pediatric hematologists to identify the significance of adverse events in the treatment of hemophilia, compare and contrast the benefits and disadvantages to prophylaxis and prevention in the management of hemophilia, discuss the incidence of inhibitors and their impact on the selection of appropriate therapies and review optimal dosing and dose intervals across patient populations.   Participants in this session will be able to outline strategies for dealing with lifestyle issues complicating the ongoing course of management of the disease.

Supported by a grant from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

Monday, May 16
12:45pm – 2:45pm

Updated Treatment Strategies for Hemophilia and Rare Coagulation Disorders 
Renaissance - Grand Ballroom North

The spectrum of bleeding disorders can range from inherited and acquired hemophilia to rare coagulation disorders such as Factor VII deficiency and Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. Treatment options for these disorders include transfusions, human plasma-derived factors, and recombinant coagulation factors. This symposium will explore the established and lesser known dangers of blood products currently used to treat these diseases. In addition, new insights will be provided on the use of novel hemostatic agents in patients with rare coagulation disorders and the potential of these agents to reduce or avoid the need for blood transfusions.
 

Supported by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Monday, May 16
12:45pm – 2:45pm

Phase III Results of Liposomal Muramyl Tripeptide Phosphatidyl Ethanolamine (L-MTP-PE) in the Treatment of Newly Diagnosed High-Grade Osteosarcoma (Study INT-0133) 
Renaissance - Grand Ballroom Central

Supported by an educational grant from IDM Biopharmaceuticals