Eighth Annual Bladder Cancer Think Tank Set to Move Research Forward to Improve Treatment Landscape
Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) July 31, 2013 -- More than 120 leading oncologists, urologists, researchers, patients and advocates will convene August 8-10, 2013 in Snowmass Village, Colorado, for the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network’s (BCAN) eighth annual Think Tank, Collaborating to Move Research Forward.
The three-day event will seek to drive insightful discussion around pathways to targeted therapies, gender disparities in bladder cancer treatment and how to address sexual and reproductive side effects that patients may experience as a result of treatment.
Held annually since 2006, the Think Tank is the only bladder cancer-specific meeting to bring together physicians, researchers, patients and advocates dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a disease diagnosed in more than 72,000 people each year and anticipated to be the cause of nearly 15,000 deaths in 2013 alone.
This year’s Think Tank will feature keynote speaker Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD, president of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), who will discuss cancer care for patients in a session titled, “Cancer Care for the Whole Patient”.
“BCAN’s Think Tank has the ability to mold and shape the bladder cancer treatment landscape and help lay the groundwork for patients to receive care that considers all of their needs,” said Dr. Fineberg. “I look forward to hearing what insights are shared during this meeting of leading professionals, experts and community members and how they might impact bladder cancer research.”
To continue the discussion of improving the bladder cancer landscape beyond the Think Tank, participants will assemble into working groups focused on a number of issues impacting patient treatment and outcomes. The working groups will convene throughout the year to discuss and collaborate around issues such as survivorship, standardization of care, improving bladder cancer clinical trials, translational science, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, health policy and upper tract disease.
“The Think Tank sets the stage for our working groups to dive deeper into key issues impacting treatment and associated quality of life issues for those affected by bladder cancer, and to brainstorm solutions to some of the most urgent unmet needs they face,” said Diane Zipursky Quale, president and founder of BCAN. “The Bladder Cancer Think Tank is the only annual meeting of bladder cancer thought leaders and advocates and represents an opportunity for information sharing and networking among the best and brightest in the bladder cancer community.”
As the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, one in every 42 people will face a bladder cancer diagnosis during his or her lifetime. The Think Tank and its working groups seek to improve outcomes for those facing a bladder cancer diagnosis by leveraging their unique insights to generate outputs that will lead to new advances and innovation in bladder cancer.
For more information about the Eighth Annual Think Tank, bladder cancer information and support for how you can become involved with BCAN, please visit http://www.bcan.org.
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About the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
Founded in 2005, the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) is the only national organization devoted to advancing bladder cancer research and supporting those touched by the disease. Through a comprehensive program of research, education and advocacy, BCAN is the leading voice for bladder cancer. For more information, visit http://www.bcan.org.
Veronica Hunter, Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, http://www.bcan.org, 301-215-9099 1206, [email protected]
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