HJLR Nov/Dec 2018

42 NOV / DEC 2018  I  Healthcare Journal of little rock   Healthcare Briefs training tomorrow’s healthcare providers to mak- ing groundbreaking scientific discoveries to pro- viding the highest quality medical care. In these and many other ways, we work to improve health for all Arkansans,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, MD, MBA. “It’s both validating and humbling to see that so many of you believe in supporting this mission, and we could not be more thankful for each donor. You are investing in a better future for our state.” Donors made gifts via phone or online at the campaign website, dayofgiving.uams.edu. UAMS leadership and volunteers staffed tables around campus to receive in-person donations from any- one wishing to give to support their area of inter- est, including employees passing by on a morn- ing walk and families grateful to UAMS for the physicians, nurses, and other healthcare profes- sionals who provide patient care to their loved ones. UAMS has more than 1 million patient visits each year. Those patients are seen by UAMS fac- ulty at its main campus, regional campuses, the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Baptist Health, and Arkansas Children’s Hospi- tal. UAMS graduates nearly 1,000 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical professionals each year, the majority of whom stay in Arkan- sas to practice. UAMS Physician Establishes International Guidelines for Treating Castleman Disease Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD, a myeloma researcher and clinician at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was lead author on a recently published paper that for the first time establishes treatment guidelines for patients with a form of Castleman disease, a rare disorder of the lymph nodes and related tissues The guidelines are designed to improve out- comes in patients with a severe form of the dis- ease called idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD). It affects multiple lymph node areas and can cause night sweats, fevers, weight loss, anemia, and in severe cases, organ failure and death. “Treatment is challenging and outcomes can be poor since no uniform treatment guidelines exist, few systematic studies have been conducted, and no agreed upon response criteria have been described, according to the paper published online September 4 in Blood, the journal of Amer- ican Society of Hematology. “International, Evidence-based Consensus Treatment Guidelines for Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman Disease” includes research and input from van Rhee and 41 other specialists, research- ers, and clinicians from 10 countries.  “These guidelines are important because patients are at significant risk of death,” said van Rhee, director of clinical affairs of the UAMS Myeloma Center. “Until now, physicians have not agreed on the criteria for response to treatment of the disease.” Van Rhee is regarded as an international expert on Castleman disease. He is professor of medi- cine and holds the Charles and Clydene Scharlau Chair for Hematologic Malignancies Research. iMCD has been treated with a wide variety of agents, including corticosteroids and chemother- apies. But many patients, especially those with a severe form of the disease, do not benefit from some of these treatments. The guidelines should assist physicians with selecting therapy and evaluating the response, thereby improving patient outcomes. Most rec- ommendations were reached by consensus of the expert panel. They based the guidelines on pub- lished literature, review of treatment effectiveness in 344 cases, and expert opinion. They gathered through coordinated meetings of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network, which van Rhee cofounded in 2012 with his patient David Fajgen- baum, MD. Other UAMS researchers who helped with the project are Katie Stone, director of the Myeloma Immunotherapy Lab, and Amy Greenway, research associate with the Myeloma Immuno- therapy Lab. Contributors hail from across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ger- many, Italy, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Norway, and New Zealand. “The average oncologist may only see one patient with Castleman disease in his career,” said van Rhee. “A lot of progress has been made in the treatment of this disease and a lot of new information is available.” An international registry for patients with Cas- tleman disease was established in October of 2016 to collect patient outcomes to increase the evidence base for selection of future therapies. Castleman disease occurs when an abnor- mal overgrowth of cells occurs in the lymph sys- tem, which serves as the main part of the body’s immune system. The disease, affecting 5,000 to 6,000 patients across the nation, was identified by Benjamin Castleman, MD, in 1954. Van Rhee was previously the principal investiga- tor on a worldwide trial with siltuximab, which led to the first FDA-approved treatment for multicen- tric Castleman disease and led to the approval of the drug by the European Medicine Agency. Ear- lier this year, he released a book, Castleman Dis- ease, as part of the Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America series of clinics review articles published bimonthly by Elsevier Inc. Van Rhee wrote the chapter, “Treatment of Idiopathic Cas- tleman Disease,” along with Green, his research associate, and Stone, his lab director. CHI St. Vincent Opens New Pediatric Headache Clinic Location withDr. Joe Elser CHI St. Vincent announced the opening of Dr. Joe Elser’s new Pediatric Headache Clinic at the CHI St. Vincent West campus in Chenal. Elser and his nurse practitioner, Lee Elliott, RNP, have been providing headache diagnosis and treat- ment for children and adolescents for more than 30 years and are recognized locally, regionally, and nationally as leaders in the treatment of pedi- atric headaches. The clinic’s new location at CHI St. Vincent West will now allow Elser and his team to see more patients with significantly reduced wait times for appointments.  Frits van Rhee, MD, PhD