"When many people think of cancer, they think of pain. That's because tumors often invade very sensitive areas of the body when they grow," said Nora Janjan, M.D., President and incoming Chair of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and an internationally recognized palliative care expert from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. "Radiation therapy effectively reduces pain by shrinking the tumor."
Although radiation therapy can promptly alleviate much of the pain associated with cancer, it is underutilized, according to several of the country's most distinguished cancer researchers and pain management specialists. Radiation therapy is often used only when other types of treatment are not effective. Also, because of limited support for hospice care, it is often difficult to include radiation therapy.
To address these issues on behalf of the millions of cancer patients in the U.S., several of the nation's most renowned pain management experts are gathering in New Orleans on Sunday, October 6, 2002, to discuss ways to better manage pain symptoms. These clinicians will begin their presentations at 9:25 a.m. in the Morial Convention Center as part of the Presidential Course at ASTRO's 44th Annual Meeting, scheduled for October 6-10, 2002.
The outstanding specialists scheduled to speak at this pain summit include:
* Porter Storey, M.D., an Associate Professor of Medicine in the geriatric section at Baylor College of Medicine and Medical Director of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital's palliative care service.
* Kathleen M. Foley, M.D., a neurologist and pain specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Director of the Project on Death in America, The Open Society Institute.
* Charles F. von Gunten, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P., Medical Director of the Center for Palliative Studies at San Diego Hospice and Chairman of the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
In addition to the experts speaking at the pain summit on Sunday, one of the keynote speakers at this year's ASTRO Annual Meeting is Charles S. Cleeland, Ph.D., a highly recognized specialist in cancer pain management. Dr. Cleeland is The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's McCullough Professor of Cancer Research, Chairman of the Department of Symptom Research, Director of the Pain Research Group, and Director of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center in Supportive Cancer Care. His speech is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8, at the Morial Convention Center.
For more information on ASTRO's Annual Meeting, please visit http://www.astro.org/meetings or call 1-800-962-7876.
The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with 7,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society's mission is to advance the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare environment.
RSS