Scientist Survivor

NCCC Participates in the Scientist <---> Survivor Program at 97th AACR Annual Meeting

97TH ANNUAL MEETING SETS RECORDS FOR ATTENDANCE IN THE WAR AGAINST CANCER!

 

April 12, 2006: By Mr. Alan M. Kaye, Chair of the NCCC Board of Directors:

 

The 97th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) set new records for attendance. An audience of more than 17,000 scientists and others registered for the meeting that was held April 1-5, 2006 in the Washington DC Convention Center.

 

On behalf of the NCCC, Mr. Alan Kaye, through a competitive process, was an invited guest, participating in the Eighth Annual AACR Scientist <---> Survivor Program and entire AACR program. This program was designed to forge partnerships to accelerate progress against Cancer.

 

The War on Cancer is occurring and many are fighting the fight day after day, week after week, month after month. However, it is important to note that Cancer research funding has been declining lately and it is imperative that the War on Cancer continue to be funded!

 

The large crowd was treated to a wide range of novel laboratory, translational and clinical cancer research. More than 6,100 abstracts were submitted for presentation, complementing an outstanding program of scientific and educational events, organized under the leadership of Daniel A. Haber, M.D., Ph.D., scientific chairperson for the 2006 AACR Program Committee.

 

Included into the program were numerous scientific posters on cervical cancer. There were also educational discussions on the HPV Vaccine and its importance and its future place in fighting cancer both in the United States and worldwide.

 

Of particular note, this year’s meeting featured a special clinical plenary session, “Breakthroughs in Clinical Research,” offered for the first time at AACR. Late-phase clinical trials were presented, including the science that led up to the trials and new data with direct impact for the patient.

 

Of particular importance to me is the prospect that there may be a new format in the development of products as they move through development. There was discussion about a a new PHASE " O " Clinical Trial that would assist researchers in speeding up the Cancer product development process while also assuring their is a focus on the safe participation for people enrolled in the Clinical Trials. Bringing Cancer diagnostics and treatments to market sooner has the potential of saving many lives!

 

Additional highlights of the 97th AACR meeting included:
  • Media coverage from the meeting was outstanding. Major broadcast, print, and internet outlets in this country and overseas reported the latest advances each day.
  • AACR launched CR, its new magazine for cancer survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists.
  • A special ceremony was inaugurated to honor this year’s major award winners. (How wonderful it was to see Cancer Researchers getting acknowledged for the work they do in the field of Cancer Research!)
  • Select scientific sessions were recorded for Webcasting and are available at AACR website.
While at the AACR meeting, the NCCC participated in the Cancer Forum 2006 that provided a public forum highlighting the latest Cancer discoveries. The Cancer Forum NCCC participated in is a unique educational opportunity for everyone concerned about Cancer. The Cancer Forum focused in on the latest progress in cancer detection, treatment and prevention.

 

As a Cancer Advocate, on behalf of the NCCC, we are thankful for the excellent work the AACR does in exposing the cancer advocacy community to cutting edge research, unparalleled opportunities to meet with prominent cancer researches from around the world and broaden our understanding of the various cancer related topics in cancer research. Cancer research discussions we directly participated in were on topics related to the HPV vaccine to fight cervical cancer and additional topics included Immunology and immunotherapy, Tumor Biology, Biostatistics, Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis, Clinical Trials in Special Populations, Drug discovery and development, Angiogenesis, Epigenetics and Epigenetic Therapy and many other cancer related topics.