In USA Izhar, Munawar MD and Prakash Gudsoorkar MD are spearheading incorporation of Onco-nephrology subject material and Questions that can be asked in the Nephrology Board exams by the American Board of internal medicine (ABIM).

Dr. Gudsoorkar et al have proofread and edited articles in Onconephrology for NKF – The National Kidney Foundation.

In USA Izhar Munawar states that Nephrology Board Review involves Nephrology Questions from different areas of the subject being asked in the boards in a comprehensive manner. One such area emerging in Nephrology carving its niche is:

Onconephrology: A dawn of a new subspecialty within the specialty of Nephrology.

Munawar Izhar emphasizes that breakthroughs in Nephro-Oncology care have improved the long-term outcomes of patients. This is because of our improved understanding of cancer immunobiology and specific molecular targets which comprise the concept of precision medicine. Cancer survivorship is an important concept which starts at the time of diagnosis of cancer and lasts throughout the lifespan of the patient. This is an integral part of cancer care continuum.

Izhar and Gudsoorkar state that nephrologists have been increasingly getting consulted for a plethora of kidney related adverse effects from onco-therapeutic drugs and treatments and have become an indispensable part of the cancer care teams. This has paved a path for a new subspecialty called Onco-Nephrology. Onconephrology incorporates a wide array of disorders like acute kidney injury ARF, Electrolyte Imbalance, immune related kidney adverse events from immunotherapy (immune check point inhibitors), Hypertension and Proteinuria disorders from molecularly targeted therapies (tyrosine kinase / VIGF inhibitors), hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and palliative care nephrology. To help promote the awareness and understanding of this unique subspecialty various nephrology societies like National Kidney Foundation (NKF), American Society of nephrology (ASN) and International Society of Nephrology (ISN) have endorsed Onconephrology as a unique subspecialty. Various universities affiliated with major cancer institutes have introduced an extra year of training in Onco-Nephrology.

In USA Izhar & Gudsoorkar state that ABIM Nephrology Board Exams have also incorporated Onconephrology as a major topic and examinees are tested on common concepts like Cisplatin Nephrotoxicity, Plasma cell disorders, immune check point inhibitor toxicity etc. Izhar, Munawar emphasizes that it is imperative for nephrology trainees/Fellows to have knowledge about the common and high yield concepts in this subject to score well in the Board Exams.

In USA Izhar, Munawar and Prakash Gudsoorkar have a dedicated section which will test key concepts in Onco-Nephrology. This course can be accessed and subscribed via Https://www.abimexams.com

Posted by Virginia K. Stockstill

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