CMSC

Lesser Right-hand Dominance May Be Linked to More Severe MS

Inconsistently switching between hands for most common manual activities ā€” or naturally choosing the left rather than the right hand ā€” may be associated with more severe multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), either in the form of younger age at diagnosis or progressive type, particularly in women, a small study suggests. These…

CMSC Meeting Focuses on Challenges, Solutions to Quality of Life Issues

Nearly 3,000 multiple sclerosis (MS) healthcare providers and researchers Ā convened recently to share their findings regarding the latest developments in the diagnosis and treatment of MS. However, unlike past meetings, this year’s 34th Annual Meeting of theĀ Consortium of MS Centers (CMSC) took place online. Virtual presentations covered the…

CMSC 2020 Meeting Will Be Free and Online May 26-29

To ensure the safety of its participants during the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Annual MeetingĀ will be a free virtual conference on May 26ā€“29. This meeting is considered the largest educational conference in North America for healthcare professionals working in multiple sclerosis…

NeurologyLive, CMSC Offer Panel Series on Changes in MRI Guidelines for MS

NeurologyLive, a multimedia platform for specialists in that field, partnered with the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)Ā for its recent video series on changes inĀ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol and guidelines for treating and managingĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). This ā€œPeer Exchangeā€ panel discussion includes four specialists in neurology…

CMSC Announces 4 Winners of Pilot Research Awards for 2019

TheĀ Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) named four scientists the winners of itsĀ Pilot Research Award for 2019, given to support projects thought to advance the CMSCā€™s mission and improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The awards, supported by EMD Serono (known as Merck…

Ocrevus a Year After Approval: Views of Some MS Experts

A year after U.S. regulators approved Genentech’sĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)Ā as the first treatment for both the relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, a prominent neurologist involved in the Phase 3 clinical trials that led to its authorization says it has been beneficial for some MS patients. But itā€™s simply…

Multiple Sclerosis Centers Consortium Develops Healthcare Associate Certification Exam

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)Ā has developed aĀ Multiple Sclerosis Healthcare Associate (MSHA) Certification Examination for all non-licensed, educated and trained medical personnel working inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS). The MSHA Certification Examination provides formal recognition of a specialized body of knowledge felt to be necessary to provide optimal…

Registrations Open for Upcoming Nashville CMSC 2018 Meeting

Registrations are now open for the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), set for May 30-June 2 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The CMSC Annual Meeting is the nation’s largest educational conference and professional development event for healthcare practitioners, researchers and…

National MS Society Endorses US-Canada Registry Aiming to Advance Research and Patient Care

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has endorsed the North American Registry for Care and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, a collaborative effort involving other multiple sclerosis registries, clinicians, researchers and patients in the U.S. and parts of Canada. NARCRMS is a public-private partnership, bringing together academia, industry, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations with an interest in MS. It operates under the auspices of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. It consists of a database of clinical records and patient-centered outcomes, providing clinicians and scientists with a greater and more integrated ability to track the incidence, prevalence and course of MS. Like many registries, NARCRMSĀ includes data collected by physicians, like neuroimaging scans, genetic markers, cognitive assessments and specimen collection, and testing for identification of biomarkers of disease progression.Ā It also adds patient-reported outcomes focused on disease challenges and impacts on daily life. Its goal is to improve the understanding of MS, facilitate multi-level care, and aid inĀ recruiting patients into clinical trials. NARCRMS is the first open-source database to connect MS centers across North America to regional databases by state, region and zip code.Ā To date, NARCRMS has recruited 10 centers, with another three in the process of coming aboard, and has enrolled 113 patients. The registry builds onĀ North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS), the oldest patient-driven registry in the U.S. using patient experiences to advance MS clinical care and life quality. NARCOMS was created in 1993 by the CMSC. More than 37,500 people had joined the registry as of 2015. Researchers used NARCOMS data on 2014 to report on outcomes in switching treatments, therapy effectiveness, disease progression, co-existing conditions, and other topics that help understand the MS experience.

Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Revises MRI Guidelines

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers has updated guidelines for using magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate people suspected of having multiple sclerosis. Doctors use the MRI guidelines not only to diagnose MS but also to track treatment results. A task force is reviewing the new guidelines before they're published. The working document is called Ā "Revised Guidelines of the CMSC MRI Protocol for the Diagnosis and Follow-up of MS." The task force, composed of neurologists, radiologists and imaging scientists experienced in MS, met in January 2017 to revise the guidelines. They also updated information about the situations for which standardized brain and spinal cord MRI scans should be used. One change is a recommendation that gadolinium, a contrast agent in scans, be used cautiously. The previous update, published in 2015, included no constraints on the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents.Ā But soon after publication, information emerged showing that gadolinium, although not toxic, accumulates in the brain. This prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to recommend limiting the use of gadolinium to ā€œappropriate clinical circumstances.ā€ To mirror the increased awareness of gadolinium deposits, the new guidelines say: ā€œWhile there is no known central nervous system toxicity, these agents should be used judiciously, recognizing that gadolinium continues to play an invaluable role in specific circumstances related to the diagnosis and follow-up of individuals with MS.ā€ Since 2009, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers has addressed a number of other issues. One is encouraging the use of three-dimensional MRI for brain scans. Another is developing protocols for monitoring severe optic nerve inflammation and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, a brain disease caused by a virus. The guidelines have been revised to recommend the specific timing of scans for monitoring PML. The update also includes recommendations for theĀ timing of scans on patients receiving disease-modifying drugs. Since 2009, the guidelines have included recommendations on scans of radiologic isolated syndrome, a condition where MS-like MRI lesions are present without symptoms. And they have included provisions onĀ the value of using MRI changes to evaluate treatment effectiveness. The centers' goal "is to standardize the MRI protocol and make these recommendations a useful guideline for neurologists, neuroradiologists, and related healthcare professionals during initial evaluations and during follow-up of patients with MS, and ultimately provide optimum care for those individuals dealing with this unpredictable disease,ā€ June Halper, the centers' chief executive officer, said in a press release.

Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Calls for Abstracts for 2017 Annual Meeting

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) is inviting researchers and healthcare professionals to submit abstractsĀ to be presented at its 31st Annual Meeting, focusing onĀ developments inĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) research, patient care and treatment outcomes. The 2017 CMSC meeting, organized by the groupā€™s Continuing Professional Education Committee, will take…

Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Emphasizes the Role of Physicians in MS Medical Treatment Decisions

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), an organization for researchers and healthcare professionals committed to multiple sclerosis (MS) care and treatment, has recently issued a position statement claimingĀ that prescribers should have the right to make clinical decisions on the best treatments and medications in each individual MS case.