Certificate in Cancer Immunotherapy Module 5: Other Approaches (Cytokines, Vaccines, and Immune Cell Engagers)

Course Description
This interactive online course is part of the Certificate in Cancer Immunotherapy program, produced by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). The purpose of the certificate program is to provide hospitals, medical centers, third-party payers, referring physicians, trainees and patients with an identifiable designation for healthcare providers who can safely and effectively participate in administration of immunotherapies and manage patients treated with these approaches. View all eight modules of the program and a detailed description of the program here.

This course, Module 5: Other Approaches (Cytokines, Vaccines, and Immune Cell Engagers), will cover the biological foundation and clinical implementation of cytokines, vaccines and immune cell engagers as immunotherapies for cancer, including adverse event management.

 

  • Original Release Date: July 5, 2021
  • Expiration Date: July 9, 2026
  • Date of Last Review: June 2024
  • Jointly provided by Partners for Advancing Clinical Education (PACE) and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC)
  • Estimated time to complete the activity: 90 minutes
  • For additional information about the accreditation of this activity, please visit https://partnersed.com
  • Computer system hardware/software requirements: SITC connectED requires a modern web browser (Edge, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 7+) and the ability to listen to audio with the content.


Target Audience
The program is available to licensed physicians (U.S. licensed MD / DO or global equivalent). The courses and earning of the certificate (SITC-G; G = graduate) are also available to practicing, licensed NPs, PAs, and PharmDs or global equivalent. RPh degree holders are eligible if they are involved in direct clinical services. The courses are available to others who are not practicing clinicians, but they will not be eligible to earn the certificate.

 

Educational Objectives

Topic Upon completion of this activity, the participant should be able to:

Basic Mechanisms
  • Define the types and functions of cytokines and chemokines used in cancer immunotherapy.
  • Distinguish among the various types of cancer vaccines.
  • Describe the different types and functions of tumor antigens used in cancer vaccines.
  • Classify the different delivery platforms for cancer vaccines.
  • Describe how personalized cancer vaccines differ from standard cancer vaccines.
  • Identify different methods and routes of administration of immunotherapy agents.
  • Define the types of immunologic adjuvants and their distinct functions in promoting immune responses.
  • Recognize the role of innate immune activators in promoting tumor immunotherapy.
  • Describe the mechanism of action of immune cell engagers.
  • Compare and contrast immune cell engagers with adoptive cellular therapies.
  • Describe potential mechanisms of relapse following immune cell engager therapies.

Clinical Use and Development
  • Appreciate the historical data on vaccine and cytokine treatment of malignancy.
  • List current clinical indications for vaccines, cytokines, and immune cell engagers in cancer treatment.
  • Explain how immunologic boosting can enhance anti-tumor immunity with vaccines.
  • Describe the role of immunotherapy and vaccines in cancer prevention.
  • Characterize new and emerging vaccines, cytokines and immune cell engagers under clinical investigation.
  • Describe how cytokine levels may be used as prognostic and predictive biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy.

Combination Approaches
  • Describe how cytokines, vaccines, and immune cell engagers can be combined with other immunotherapy agents to promote T cell recruitment and anti-tumor immunity.
  • Recognize the role of non-immune agents in promoting tumor immunity in combination with cytokines, vaccines, and immune cell engagers.
  • Define immunogenic cell death (ICD) and describe how combination approaches promote ICD and anti-tumor immunity.
  • Explain the abscopal effect of local therapy.
  • Describe how other agents can enhance immunotherapy.

Patient Selection, Management and Monitoring
  • Apply criteria for patient selection for IL-2 or interferon therapy.
  • Identify contraindications to treatment with cytokines.
  • Describe methods needed to safely monitor patients on high-dose IL-2 therapy.
  • Describe criteria for patient selection for vaccine treatment.
  • Identify contraindications to treatment with vaccine therapy.
  • Describe patient selection criteria for immune cell engager therapies.
  • Identify contraindications to immune cell engager therapies.
  • Determine duration of treatment and when to assess patients for clinical response.

Management of Adverse Events
  • Recognize the type and severity of adverse events associated with cytokine, vaccine, and immune cell engager administration.
  • Apply appropriate interventions to ameliorate toxicities associated with cytokines, vaccines, and immune cell engagers.  
  • Identify appropriate institutional and provider resources and procedures needed to manage cytokine-related toxicities.
  • Recognize the importance of continuing education for high-dose cytokine delivery teams.
  • Recognize the interactions between cytokines, vaccines, and immune cell engagers with other immunotherapy and non-immunotherapy cancer agents for causing unknown or unexpected adverse events.

 

 

SITC Online Education Disclaimer

A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product discussed. Readers should verify all information and data before treating patients or employing any therapies described in this educational activity.

 

 

Faculty and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

PACE requires every individual in a position to control educational content to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies that have occurred within the past 24 months. Ineligible companies are organizations whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

 

All relevant financial relationships for anyone with the ability to control the content of this educational activity are listed below and have been mitigated according to PACE policies. Others involved in the planning of this activity have no relevant financial relationships.

 

Presenting Faculty

Conflicts of Interest

Umar Farooq
Senior Vice President
Global Head of Cell Therapy Research
Universty of Iowa

Consultant: Kite Pharma, Inc
Researcher: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; Consultant/Advisor/Speaker: Immpact Bio, Caribou Biosciences, Kite Pharma, MoprhoSys

Certificate Program Task Force

Conflicts of Interest

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD (Chair)

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

Researcher: Astra-Zeneca/Medimmune, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Novasenta, Tesaro

Consultant/Advisor/Speaker: Achilles Therapeutics; Adagene Incorporated, Adaptimmune, Aduro Biotech Inc, Astra-Zeneca/MedImmune; Bicara Therapeutics, Inc, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Brooklyn Immunotherapeutic, Cantenion, Coherus BioSciences, Inc, CureVac, Cytoagents, Eisai Europe Limited,

EMD Serono, Everest Clinical Research Corporation, F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Federation Bio, Inc, Genmab,

Genocea Biosciences, Inc, Hookipa Biotech GmbH, Instill Bio, Inc, Kowa Research Institute, Inc, Lifescience Dynamics Limited, MacroGenics, Inc, MeiraGTx, LLC, Merck, Merus N.V,

Mirati Therapeutics, Inc, Mirror Biologics Inc, Nanobiotix,

Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation, Novasenta,

Numab Therapeutics AG, OncoCyte Corporation, Pfizer,

PPD Development, L.P., Rakuten Medical, Inc, Regeneron,

Sanofi, Seagen, Inc, SIRPant Immunotherapeutics, Inc, Tesaro, Vir Biotechnology, Inc, Zymeworks Inc

Stocker holder: Novasenta

Umar Farooq, MD

University of Iowa

Researcher: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; Consultant/Advisor/Speaker: Immpact Bio, Caribou Biosciences, Kite Pharma, MoprhoSys;

Silvia Formenti, MD

Weill Cornell Medicine

Grant/Research Support: Bristol Myers Squibb, Varian, Regeneron, Merck, Celldex, ViewRay, AstraZeneca

Consultant/Honoraria: Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Varian, ViewRay, Elekta, Janssen, Regeneron, GlaxoSmithKline, Eisai, Astra Zeneca, MedImmune, Merck US, EMD Serono/Merck, Genentech/ROCHE, Nanobiotix

Sigrun Hallmeyer, MD

Advocate Medical Group

Consultant: Cardinal Health

Jose Lutzky, MD, FACP

University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center

Researcher: BMS

Consultant/Advisor/Speaker: Castle, Iovance, Vyriad, Replimune, Takeda, Oncotelic, T-Nanobio, Agenus, Celldex

Independent Contractor: BMS, Novartis, Iovance, Replimune, Regeneron, InstilBio, Syntrix, BioNtech, Foghorn, Trisalus, Agenus, Inmatics, Takeda, Dragonfly

 

George Weiner, MD

University of Iowa

Researcher: Regeneron, Pfizer

 

Satisfactory Completion
Learners must listen to each self-directed audio recording while following along with the visual slides/read the articles, pass the post-test with a score of 80% or higher (unlimited attempts) and complete an evaluation form to receive a certificate of completion. You must participate in the entire activity as partial credit is not available. If you are seeking continuing education credit for a specialty not listed below, it is your responsibility to contact your licensing/certification board to determine course eligibility for your licensing/certification requirement.

 

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Partners for Advancing Clinical Education (PACE) and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.  PACE 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 healthcare team.

 

 

Physician Continuing Education
PACE designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

 

American Board of Internal Medicine Maintenance of Certification
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.5 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (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.

To receive CME credit and/or MOC points, you MUST pass the posttest and complete the evaluation. For ABIM MOC points, your information will be shared with the ABIM through PACE’s Joint Accreditation Program and Activity Reporting System (JAPARS). Please allow 6-8 weeks for your MOC points to appear on your ABIM records. By sharing your Diplomate Board ID # and DOB, you are giving PACE permission to use this information/data to report your participation to these Boards JA-PARS.

 

Nursing Continuing Professional Development
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Nursing Continuing Professional Development activity is 1.5 contact hours.

 

Pharmacy Continuing Education

PACE designates this continuing education activity for 1.5 contact hour(s) (0.15 CEUs) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
(Universal Activity Number - JA4008073-9999-24-161-H01-P)
Type of Activity: Knowledge

 

For Pharmacists: Upon successfully completing the post-test with a score of 80% or better and the activity evaluation form, transcript information will be sent to the NABP CPE Monitor Service within 4 weeks.

 

Medical Physicist (CAMPEP)
This program has been approved by The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) for 1.50 MPCEC Hours.

 

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

 

Method of Participation and Request for Credit
During the period 7/1/2021 through 7/9/2026 participants must read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures and study the educational activity.

 

Once the participant has passed the post-test with a score of 80% or higher (unlimited attempts allowed), and the course evaluation has been completed, credit will be automatically requested to the CRO the participant has selected during the registration process. 

Certificates will be available to the participant for printing after passing the post-test and completing the course evaluation.

For Pharmacists: Upon successfully completing the post-test with a score of 80% or better and the activity evaluation form, transcript information will be sent to the NABP CPE Monitor Service within 4 weeks.


Media
Internet

Computer System Hardware and Software Requirements
SITC connectED requires a modern web browser (Edge, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 7+) and the ability to listen to audio with the content.

Certificate in Cancer Immunotherapy Module 5: Other Approaches (Cytokines, Vaccines, and Immune Cell Engagers)

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Individual topic purchase: Selected
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (MD/DO)
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™: 1.50
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (non-MD/DO)
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™: 1.50
Certificate of Participation (No Credit)
Certificate of Participation: 0.00
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and ABIM Maintenance of Certification
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ / ABIM Maintenance of Certification Part 2 Credit: 1.50
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
Contact Hour: 1.50
American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation
Contact Hour: 1.50
Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs
Medical Physics Continuing Education Credit: 1.50
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Certificate in Cancer Immunotherapy: Module 5: Other Approaches (Cytokines, Vaccines, and Immune Cell Engagers)