BLOGGERS: MARK SCHOLZ, MD & RALPH H. BLUM

The co-authors of Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers, blog alternate posts weekly. We invite you to post your comments.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

The September Prostate Cancer Conference

BY MARK SCHOLZ, MD

PCRI’s Prostate Cancer Conference for Patients is less than two weeks away.  The Conference is a unique event giving opportunity for patients to interact closely with experts in prostate cancer and leaders in research.  It is also a great venue to establish a connection with other patients who have “been there and done that.” This is a weekend to stay informed about the latest in prostate cancer.

That’s where the invited experts come in - we ask them to present their lectures in a way that can be understood by patients. This year’s program will stress breakthroughs in imaging, immunology, new hormone therapy, expanded roles for chemotherapy and the latest thinking on radiation.  The Saturday program will include:

 
·         Dr. Matthew Cooperberg from UCSF is providing an update on active surveillance .

·         Dr. John Mulhall from Memorial Sloan Kettering  will educate us on the latest methods for maintaining normal sexual function after treatment for prostate cancer.

·         Dr. Peter Grimm, from Prostate Cancer Center of Seattle, a world authority on seed implantation reviewing the latest breakthroughs in the area of radiation therapy.

·         Dr. William Oh from Mount Sinai will discuss breakthroughs in injectable radiation that targets bone metastases and new roles for chemotherapy.

·         Dr. Tomasz Beer from the University of Oregon will provide the latest thinking on the powerful new hormonal agents Xtandi and Zytiga.

·         Dr. Dan Margolis a world-renowned prostate imaging expert from UCLA will explain new used for multiparametric imaging of the prostate.

·         Dr. Charles Drake from Johns Hopkins, the world’s preeminent immune expert in prostate cancer will share the latest breakthroughs in this rapidly advancing field.

Dr. Mark Moyad, our moderator, will also be speaking about supplements and diet and how they can lead to increased survival and better quality of life. 

Cancer care is advancing so rapidly that it takes a team effort between you and your physician to achieve the best care.  For the average patient it is overwhelming to try to stay up to date with the latest clinical studies, journal articles and protocols. Often the best place for information is an event like this that specializes in distributing the latest information in a digestible format. 

On Sunday morning, most of our Saturday speakers will participate in a smaller group setting and review their presented topics.  The conference will end with a speaker roundtable to see what treatment the experts will recommend when confronted with actual patient situations. 

The PCRI Conference is for your empowerment. We want it to give you hope and a new confidence in facing the challenging tasks of making important treatment decisions that will impact you for the rest of your life.  

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