March  / April 1998 Supplement

Vol 5, No 2 Supplement
CME Pretest

In this supplement, the topic of anemia in cancer patients is addressed. First, answer the pretest questions below. After reading the articles, proceed with answering the CME posttest questions.

This Journal provides 1 hour of Category 1 Continuing Medical Education

Complimentary CME Credits

Physicans can earn up to 1 credit hours of Category 1 for the Physican's Recognition Award of the American Medical Association by reading the material in this supplement issue and successfully answering the questions on the posttest at the end of this issue. Complete instructions are given on the posttest pages. Every successfully answered 10 questions will earn 1 credit hour. CME is presented by an unrestricted educational grant from Ortho Biotech, Inc.

Educational Objectives

After reading this supplement issue, clinicians will be expected to:

• understand the basic mechanisms of hematopoiesis
  
• recognize the causes of anemia in patients with cancer
  
• appreciate the correlation between anemia and fatigue in patients with cancer
  
• know the indications for recombinant erythropoietin in anemic patients with cancer
  

This program was planned in accordance with ACCME Essentials.
Release Date: March 1, 1998 Expiration Date: March 1, 1999

Pretest

1. Which pathogenetic mechanism is considered to have the dominant role in anemia of chronic disease?

a. impaired iron utilization

b. shortened red cell survival

c. cytokine mediation

d. decreased responsiveness to erythropoietin

2. Outcome studies in patients with carcinoma of the cervix or head and neck cancers managed with radiation therapy indicate that survival of anemic patients compared with their nonanemic counterparts is usually:

a. shorter

b. similar

c. longer

d. variable

3. Studies from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center of patients receiving concomitant chemoradiation for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer suggest that using erythropoietin plus iron can reduce the percentage who require red blood cell transfusion from 56% to:

a. 0%

b. 8%

c. 16%

d. 48%