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India to host ASCO 2009 for first time at Bangalore on Aug 8 & 9

Our Bureau, BangaloreFriday, August 7, 2009, 08:00 Hrs  [IST]

The Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology in association with CME Universe, a continuing medical education division of Indegene Lifesystems Pvt Ltd is organizing 'ASCO 2009'. The conference will be held at Bangalore on August 8 and 9. Major pharmaceutical companies like Dr Reddys, Novartis, Merck Serono, Lupin, GSK and others are supporting this initiative. The American Society of Clinical Oncology or ASCO event which is usually held in the US is being held for the first time in the country. It will be attended by about 200 cancer specialists from all over India. The faculty includes Dr Clifford A Hudis, Dr Chandra P Belani and professor Heinz-Josef Lenz all from the US. Indian Society of Medial and Paediatric Oncology is the largest scientific and academic society for medical oncologist from all over India and neighbouring countries. "This will be an excellent opportunity for those who could not go to USA for the ASCO meeting, to catch up with the latest in the field of cancer management," said Dr Hemant Malhotra, senior medical oncologist from Jaipur and Secretary of ISMPO. According to Dr Dinesh Pendharkar, president, ISMPO and senior medical oncologist from Delhi, the conference is attended by over 30,000 leading cancer specialists from various countries. During this oncology event, recent advances in this field are going to be presented and discussed to improve understandings and management of various cancers. Crucial scientific papers covering a wide range of cancers, discussed during the ASCO's Annual Meeting 2009 held in the US, will be presented. Dr Kumar Prabhash, Senior Medical Oncologist from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai said, "National and International Oncology experts will deliberate and debate the data to ascertain what is applicable and beneficial to cancer patients in India. Emerging therapeutic approaches based on case presentations will be an additional highlight during this conclave." ASCO is a non-profit organization founded in 1964 with the objective to improve cancer care and prevention. More than 27,000 oncology practitioners belong to ASCO, representing all oncology disciplines and subspecialties. Members include physicians and health-care professionals in all levels of the practice of oncology. In order to provide access to this state-of-the-art knowledge to a wider audience, the most important aspects are subsequently presented in few selected countries as 'Best of ASCO' conferences. The National cancer registry programme of Indian Council of Medical Research reveals that various types of cancer are fast afflicting Indian population. According to the latest report more than 2.5 million in the country are suffering from various types of cancer and it is one of the leading causes of death. Tobacco related cancers remain the commonest cancers in India. Among women, breast cancer has overtaken cervical cancer, at least in the urban areas. There is going to be a five fold increase over the next 10 years, partially due to the increase in the ageing population. A focus on clinical cancer research, screening and prevention is essential to reduce the incidence of cancer and improve the survival rates.

 
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