CONy 2020 MS Program
Section Heads:
*This program is subject to change
| Friday, March 27, 2020 | |
| 08:30-10:10 | THERAPY |
| 08:30-09:20 | Should new therapies for MS be subjected to clinical trials even with poor scientific support |
| Capsule: Over the past three decades, numerous drugs were approved for multiple sclerosis (MS), but in many patients the disease is not fully controlled. In this session, the debaters will outline the pros and cons of developing interventions based on limited scientific evidence, such as high dose vitamin D or HBO. | |
| 08:30-08:40 | Host: Olaf Stuve, USA |
| 08:40-08:55 | Yes: Ralf Linker, Germany |
| 08:55-09:10 | No: Konrad Rejdak, Poland |
| 09:10-09:20 | Discussion and rebuttals |
| 09:20-10:10 | Are MS patients at increased risk for developing cancer? |
| Capsule: Whether people with MS are at higher risk of developing cancer has not been definitively established. The increased rate of general comorbidity would indicate a higher risk of cancer. On the other hand, some register and large cohort studies have not found an association. Could it be that there is higher risk of specific cancers, but not all cancers? And can newer highly potent immunosuppressive treatments modify the long term risk? | |
| 09:20-09:30 | Host: Cris Constantinescu, UK |
| 09:30-09:45 | Yes: Ali Manouchehrinia, Sweden |
| 09:45-10:00 | No: Melinda Magyari, Denmark |
| 10:00-10:10 | Discussion and rebuttals |
| 10:10-10:25 | Coffee Break |
| 10:25-12:05 | DIAGNOSIS |
| 10:25-11:15 | Are the 2017 MS McDonald criteria too liberal and should be more restrictive? |
| 10:25-10:35 | Host: Ralf Linker, Germany |
| 10:35-10:50 | Yes: Brian Weinshenker, USA |
| 10:50-11:05 | No: Christopher Hawkes, UK |
| 11:05-11:15 | Discussion and rebuttals |
| 11:15-12:05 | Does OCT make VEP redundant? |
| Capsule: Visual evoked potentials (VEP) have traditionally been used to support the existence of subclinical involvement of the optic nerve in MS patients. The newly developed optical coherence tomography (OCT) is sensitive to anatomical changes in the retina and optic nerve. Does the OCT make the VEP obsolete or does the physiological measure add important information? | |
| 11:15-11:25 | Host: Abhijit Chauduri, UK |
| 11:25-11:40 | Yes: Hadas Stiebel-Kalish, Israel |
| 11:40-11:55 | No: Mario Habek, Croatia |
| 11:55-12:05 | Discussion and rebuttals |
| 12:15-13:15 | Industry Supported Symposium |
| 13:15-14:15 | Lunch Break |
| 13:15-14:15 | Meet the Expert |
| 14:15-15:45 | DISEASE COURSE |
| 14:15-14:55 | Newly diagnosed MS patients should be started on aggressive therapy |
| Capsule: Early treatment is claimed to improve long-term prognosis in MS. Recent studies also suggest that early aggressive therapy with potent immunosuppressive drugs (“induction therapy”) may improve long-term outcomes and lower the risk of conversion to secondary-progressive MS. Therefore, it is suggested that newly diagnosed MS patients should be started on such aggressive therapies. However, these therapies may be associated with serious risks. Do the potential benefits of aggressive therapies always outweigh their risks? | |
| 14:15-14:25 | Host: Jera Kruja, Albania |
| 14:25-14:35 | Yes: Ron Milo, Israel |
| 14:35-14:45 | No: Uros Rot, Slovenia |
| 14:45-14:55 | Discussion and rebuttals |
| 14:55-15:45 | MS is a primary progressive disease in all cases, but some patients have superimposed relapses |
| Capsule: Patients with clinically isolated syndrome have been shown to have significant cortical changes in their brains. Subcortical asymptomatic alterations have also been described. Does that mean that MS is basically a degenerative disease with superimposed clinical flare-ups (“relapses”) as epiphenomena? | |
| 14:55-15:05 | Host: Bart van Wijmeersch, Belgium |
| 15:05-15:20 | Yes: Antonio Scalfari, UK |
| 15:20-15:35 | No: Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, USA |
| 15:35-15:45 | Discussion and rebuttals |
| 15:45-16:00 | Coffee Break |
| 16:00-19:00 | COGNITION IN MS I |
| 16:00-16:55 | In MS patients with significant cognitive decline, drug treatment should be modified. |
| Capsule: Approximately 50% of people with MS become unemployed with a median EDSS of 3.0-3.5. They usually acquired hidden disabilities related to cognitive impairment. Should MS specific drug treatment be modified in patients with cognitive decline whose EDSS is otherwise unchanged? | |
| 16:00-16:10 | Host: Thomas Berger, Austria |
| 16:10-16:25 | Add a new agent: Ron Milo, Israel |
| 16:25-16:40 | Not so fast: Amos Korczyn, Israel |
| 16:40-16:55 | Discussion and rebuttals |
| 16:55-17:50 | Cognitive decline is sufficient to define transition to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). |
| Capsule: There is no biomarker that indicates when a patient has transitioned from relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) to SPMS, and consequently SPMS is a retrospective diagnosis. The period of diagnostic uncertainty separating RRMS and SPMS diagnoses often lasts many years. Testing all aspects of clinical disease progression may or may not alleviate this uncertainty. | |
| 16:55-17:05 | Host: Dimitrios Karussis, Israel |
| 17:05-17:20 | Yes: Klaus Schmierer, UK |
| 17:20-17:35 | No: Thomas Berger, Austria |
| 17:35-17:50 | Discussion and rebuttals |
| 16:00-19:00 | COGNITION IN MS II |
| 17:50-18:45 | We are well enough equipped to identify fake news in MS therapy before it can cause harm. Capsule: Fake news is news, stories or hoaxes created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. Information that patients with MS read online, and especially in their social media feeds, often inaccurate or untrue. Misinformation about MS therapies have also been disseminated to care providers |
| 17:50-18:00 | Host: Nikos Evangelou, UK |
| 18:00-18:15 | Yes: Klaus Schmierer, UK |
| 18:15-18:30 | No: Radu Tanasescu, UK |
| 18:30-18:45 | Discussion and rebuttals |