#CMSC2018 – Closing Lecture to Focus on Best Use of DMTs

When and how to best use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in multiple sclerosis depends on key treatment decisions that, partly because the number of DMTs available, can be as challenging for clinicians as they are for patients.

DMTs and their optimal use will be covered in the closing lecture of the 2018 Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual Meeting. It will be given by Patricia K. Coyle, MD, director of the MS Comprehensive Care Center at Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York.

Coyle’s lecture, “DMT-Debates — Stopping, Switching, Re-starting,” is set for Saturday, June 2, at  noon. The meeting opens on May 30 in Nashville, Tennessee.

“There are many pros and cons to the various critical therapy decisions that we can make as clinicians. In my lecture I will cover induction versus escalation therapy, when to switch, and when it is reasonable to stop a DMT,” Coyle said in a press release.

“My goal is for attendees to walk away with a good understanding on best DMT practices,” Coyle added.

After a residency and chief residency in neurology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Coyle had a two-year fellowship in neuroimmunology and neurovirology.

Her work led to several peer-reviewed papers on clinical and basic aspects of MS and neurologic infections. Coyle is also an expert in other areas, including Lyme disease, therapeutics, and neuroimmunology.

She is currently involved in clinical trials investigating new immunotherapies for MS and in studies focusing on Lyme disease.

CMSC’s yearly meeting is the largest educational conference for MS healthcare practitioners and scientists. It serves to provide updated information to advance both clinical practice and research, and offers over 130 educational hours covering the needs of  physicians, nursing professionals, rehabilitation specialists, mental health experts, advocates, and pharmacists.

In addition to a discussion of DMTs, topics at the four-day program include complementary and alternative therapies, epidemiology and genetics, ethics, neuroimaging, disease models, multidisciplinary care, non-imaging biomarkers, psychosocial factors, rehabilitation, self-care, relapse and symptom management, and quality of life issues and outcomes.

A broad range of lectures, symposia, workshops, clinical courses, panel discussions, roundtables, posters, and platform presentations will be open to meeting participants.

Registration information is available through this link to the meeting’s website, and the meeting’s latest agenda can be found here. Early online registration discounts are available through April 16.