Emory Winship Provides a Strong Presence at World Conference on Lung Cancer

Atlanta — The Emory Winship Cancer Institute recently made a visible impact at the largest lung cancer meeting in the world — the 13^th World Conference on Lung Cancer, which was held in July in San Francisco.  In addition to scientific presentations on new therapies for lung cancer, seven Emory physician-scientists also served as session chairs, discussants for key presentations and also served on various program committees.

 ”Emory Winship had a very strong presence at this important meeting,” says Suresh Ramalingam, associate professor of hematology and medical oncology at Emory.  “Our scientific presentations included novel cancer therapies, biomarker discovery, chemoprevention and combined-modality therapy.  The breadth and depth of these presentations reflects our multidisciplinary focus and excellence in research.” 

Presenters at the meeting were:

Among the research presented by Emory faculty was a new strategy for treating non-small cell lung cancer, which increases the effectiveness of standard chemotherapy in patients with advanced stage disease.  Dr. Ramalingam discussed the addition of vorinostat, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, to a standard chemotherapy regimen of carboplatin and paclitaxel.  Findings showed increased response rates from 12.5 percent to 34 percent in a phase II clinical trial of 94 patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

All aspects of lung cancer are covered in this meeting, which is attended by surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, radiologists, pathologists, epidemiologists, basic research scientists, nurses and allied health professionals from around the world.

About Emory Winship:

As Georgia's first and only National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Center, Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute serves as the coordinating center for a vast array of resources in medical, surgical, radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, and the subspecialties of cancer care throughout Emory University. 

In addition, Emory Winship is a partner in the Georgia Cancer Coalition, an innovative public/private initiative that brings together Georgia's leading hospitals and universities, biotech firms, civic groups, and non-profit and government agencies to help treat, prevent and save lives from cancer.  Winship's partnership with the Georgia Cancer Coalition helps to extend the benefits of NCI Cancer Center Designation through initiatives such as the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education (Georgia CORE), which works to expand availability of clinical cancer research throughout Georgia by fostering collaboration with community practices.

Source:
1. Emory Winship Provides a Strong Presence at World Conference on Lung Cancer