The Oncology Practice Reviews, held July 9-10, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing and sponsored by Physicians’ Education Resource and Fox Chase Cancer Center Partners, provided recent updates to community physicians on the state-of-the-art clinical management of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
This two-day symposium highlighted treatment strategies for different tumor types, including breast cancer, genitourinary malignancies, gastrointestinal malignancies, lung cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia, as well as other special topics unique to each meeting location.
A recurring theme at the conference was the treatment of mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive form of cancer affecting the lining of the chest and/or abdomen. Those with exposure to airborne asbestos particles are more likely to develop the mesothelioma disease. Mesothelioma treatment typically consists of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
A notable contributor to the field of mesothelioma is Dr. Sugarbaker, an expert in one of the most challenging fields in cancer research, thoracic oncology. Sugarbaker is considered to be one of the world's leading experts in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Similarly, the Sloan-Kettering mesothelioma cancer center has distinguished itself for its high quality treatment and care of mesothelioma patients. Its team of experts deals exclusively with mesothelioma and seeks to offer the broadest range of services to its patients by ensuring that they receive follow-up care and support.
It is these types of doctors and institutions that the Review attracts in order to promote collaboration in the field. Not only does this conference target oncologists and hematologists interested in recent advances in the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, but it is also open to nurse practitioners, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, researchers, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, urologists, pulmonologists, etc.
The symposium’s learning objectives included a review of advances in the knowledge of the molecular basis of disease and the impact on treatment selection in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies; the evaluation of therapeutic approaches for patients with lung cancer, the assessment of predictive markers and new therapeutic strategies for patients with head and neck cancer; and the discussion of the safety and efficacy of novel targeted agents and immunotherapies, among other topics.
The reviews’ busy agenda included surveys, panels, presentations and lectures, including:
Treatment Options for Genitourinary Cancers – moderated by Gary Hudes
Surgical Management of Localized and Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma – presented by Robert G. Uzzo
New Trends in Gastrointestinal Malignancies – moderated by Paul F. Engstrom
Entering the Era of Personalized Treatment in Head and Neck Cancers – presented by Barbara Burtness
New Approaches to Predictive Markers and Therapy for Indolent B-Cell Leukemias and Lymphomas – presented by Mitchell R. Smith
For additional information, please visit the Physicians’’ Education Resource Web page:
http://www.cancerlearning.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/conference.showOverview/id/5/conference_id/527
To download the conference agenda, click on the following link:
http://www.cancerlearning.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/conference.showConfAgendaPDF/conference_id/527/title/Oncology%20Practice%20Reviews
