PHILADELPHIA (October 3, 2000) - Fox Chase Cancer Center will sponsor the first professional conference, supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), on the behavioral and psychosocial aspects of cancer prevention and control. The conference will take place October 20-22 in the Korman Suites Hotel in the Art Museum area of Philadelphia.
This conference brings together the nation's foremost investigators in cancer prevention to present the latest scientific findings and to provide a forum for discussing future directions in cancer prevention and bio-behavioral research.
The program begins with a presentation on the NCI's initiatives in cancer prevention by Robert Hiatt, M.D., Ph.D., Deputy Director of the NCI's Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences.
Experts from around the country will lead five panel discussions throughout the three-day conference. Highlights include a panel, which will address high-risk populations and cancer prevention. In this session, Judy Garber, M.D. of Harvard University will discuss genetic risk assessment for breast and ovarian cancer. Timothy Rebbeck, Ph.D. of the University of Pennsylvania will focus on the clinical and behavioral consequences of cancer risk predictions in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.
A panel on quality of life, chemoprevention and prophylactic surgery includes among the speakers Howard Leventhal, Ph.D. of Rutgers University who will address the cognitive and emotional factors that influence a person's beliefs and response to cancer prevention behaviors. His research has implications for programs that attempt to change health behaviors among at-risk individuals.
Caryn Lerman, Ph.D. of the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University, in a panel discussion about primary cancer prevention strategies, will present new data that link newly found genetic markers with the ability of smokers to quit the habit. Results from this research will have implications for how clinicians approach smoking cessation programs.
Other panels include: cancer prevention and special populations, which focuses on the challenges of minority groups, and novel technologies in outreach and cancer prevention, which centers on new media as well as the new roles of the NCI's Cancer Information Service (CIS).
Psychosocial Approaches to Cancer Prevention is supported by a conference grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and sponsored by Fox Chase Cancer Center.
For more information about the conference or to register, please call Lisa Brower, Conference Coordinator, at 215-728-7046.
Fox Chase Cancer Center, one of the nation's first comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute in 1974, conducts basic and clinical research; programs of prevention, detection and treatment of cancer; and community outreach. For more information about Fox Chase activities, visit the Center's web site at www.fccc.edu.
Note: This information is for your use. The conference is not intended for a general audience.