UNMC will host the Second Annual Fall Midwest Thoracic and GI Oncology Conference on Oct. 25-27 at Embassy Suites in Omaha’s Old Market area.
The conference will focus on the pathology and clinical management of patients diagnosed with thoracic and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, as well as strategies for implementing treatment options.
It is open to physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and respiratory therapists. Continuing education credits are available for physicians and nurses.
The conference will provide an overview of the recent advances in the field of thoracic and gastrointestinal cancers. The distinguished faculty, who are international experts in their fields, will analyze the most current options and strategies in cancer diagnosis, treatment and management. At the end of the course, the attendees will have a broad understanding of the issues in management of thoracic and GI cancers and will be able to participate more effectively in the multidisciplinary care of these patients.
In addition to 17 experts from UNMC, seven guest speakers will give presentations at the conference:
- James Barthel, M.D., associate professor of interdisciplinary oncology, associate professor of medicine, director of endoscopic oncology, at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Fla.;
- Andrew Churg, M.D., Ph.D., professor, pathology, University of British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia;
- Mark Ferguson, M.D., professor, surgery, and director, thoracic surgery service, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago;
- J. Randolph Hecht, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, director of GI oncology program, University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine;
- John Hoffman, M.D., attending surgeon, surgical oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center Philadelphia;
- Anthony Senagore, M.D., vice president, research and education, Spectrum Health Professor of surgery, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Mich.; and
- David Sugarbaker, M.D., the Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgical Oncology, Harvard Medical School, chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston.
The scope of this year’s conference is broader than last year’s, which focused on lung cancer only, said Rudy Lackner, M.D., associate professor of thoracic surgery at UNMC, and one of the conference directors.
“This conference will appeal to health care providers who treat and manage primary and metastatic soft tissue sarcomas, mesotheliomas, and cancer of the esophagus, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, colon and thymus gland,” he said.
Dr. Lacker worked with Aaron Sasson, M.D., associate professor of general surgery at UNMC, and chief of GI surgical oncology, to expand the conference.
Thoracic and gastrointestinal cancers continue to represent a significant portion of all cancer deaths in the United States.
“Each year, nearly 400,000 people in this country are affected by these cancers,” Dr. Lackner said.
Information on these conditions is growing at an exponential rate, and many cancers, such as esophageal cancer, are handled by specialists in more than one discipline, Dr. Sasson said.
“It’s getting more complicated and this conference will give health care providers in the region the latest information on these cancers.”
The conference is divided into three sections. Thursday is devoted to presentations on lung cancer; Friday morning is a joint session of interest to thoracic and GI specialists; Friday afternoon and Saturday morning are dedicated to GI topics.
Registration for the thoracic and GI sessions is $125 each, and the full conference is $200. Registration for UNMC students, residents and fellows is waived.
For additional information or to register, contact Joan Husted in UNMC’s Center for Continuing Education at 559-6235 or jhusted@unmc.edu.
Click here for conference information.