Newswise — August 8, 2013 – Neptune, NJ – On August 2, the Center for Thyroid, Adrenal and Parathyroid Disease at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, in partnership with Meridian Cancer Care and the Light of Life Foundation, presented a free educational thyroid cancer conference featuring Meridian Health specialists. The conference focused on vital topics for thyroid cancer patients, survivors and their families, and is the only of its kind to take place in the state. More than 75 community members attended Surviving Thyroid Cancer, which included exhibits on genetics, speech therapy and radiology.

Thyroid cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in the United States, and the incidence of thyroid cancer continues to rise throughout the world. “There is a common misconception that thyroid cancer is always ‘benign’. As a result, thyroid cancer awareness isn’t where it should be. With Surviving Thyroid Cancer, our team at Jersey Shore aims to educate, provide support, and explain promising new treatments. Our commitment is to bring thyroid cancer awareness to the community, and ultimately to instill hope to those coping with this potentially devastating condition,” says Alexander Shifrin, M.D., FACS, FACE, endocrine surgeon at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

About Jersey Shore University Medical Center:Jersey Shore University Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family, is a not-for-profit teaching hospital and home to K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital – the first children’s hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Jersey Shore is the regional provider of cardiac surgery, a program which has been ranked among the best in the Northeast, and is home to the only trauma center and stroke rescue center in the region. Jersey Shore University Medical Center specializes in cardiovascular care, orthopedics and rehabilitation, cancer care, neuroscience, and women’s specialty services. For more information on Jersey Shore University Medical Center call 1-800-DOCTORS, or visit www.JerseyShoreUniversityMedicalCenter.com.