World's largest lung cancer screening conference to address benefits of CT scans
Who: The world's leading lung cancer screening researchers, doctors and advocates. The International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO) and International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) Screening Conferences.
What: The 24th Annual Meeting of the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) and the first joint conference between I-ELCAP and the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO). This meeting between I-ELCAP and ILCCO represents the largest conference on lung cancer screening in the world and will demonstrate the collaborative efforts of cancer centers and medical institutions in 26 states and eight countries whose mission is to reduce deaths from lung cancer by early detection and diagnosis through screening by computed tomography (CT).
Where: Scottsdale McCormick Ranch, Scottsdale, Ariz.
When: Friday, Feb. 25 and Saturday, Feb. 26.
Why: A recent study by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) confirmed I-ELCAP results that CT screening can find lung cancers in the earliest, most curable stage, significantly reducing the number of deaths from this deadly disease. I-ELCAP leaders and conference hosts Drs. Claudia Henschke and David Yankelevitz, who hold appointments as research scientist at the Arizona State University Biodesign Institute and are physicians at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, have dedicated their lives to researching the impact of CT screening for high-risk lung cancer patients. Their research found that with CT scanning, more than 80 percent of lung cancers are detected in Stage 1, when they are highly curable. CT scanning for lung cancer holds the promise of saving tens of thousands of lives, not to mention millions of dollars.
The ongoing I-ELCAP study, based on a common CT screening protocol, collects scientific data at various research sites worldwide. More than 54,000 high risk patients have been screened thus far, making it the largest lung cancer screening study of its kind. The data is pooled with worldwide collaborators and contributes to their ongoing research regarding best practices for CT screening.
This conference represents a premier media opportunity to learn more about early detection efforts to save lives for those afflicted with lung cancer--- the No. 1 cancer killer in the world. Among the topics discussed at the conference will be:
- Understanding the results of NCI's National Lung Screening Trial
- Minimizing harms related to screening
- Development of future collaborative lung cancer screening research
- The cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening
Provided by Arizona State University
