JavaScript Tree Menu by Deluxe-Tree.com
  Atlanta GA - 404.778.3473


Department of Radiation Oncology
 
News Release:
August 24, 2009
Emory Winship Provides a Strong Presence at World Conference on Lung Cancer
Media Contact: Vincent Dollard, 404-778-4580
Atlanta -- The Emory Winship Cancer Institute recently made a visible impact at the largest lung cancer meeting in the world -- the 13th 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:
  • Fadlo Khuri, MD, chair of hematology and medical oncology, Emory Winship Cancer Institute (EWCI)
  • Walter Curran, MD, chair of radiation oncology and chief medical officer for EWCI
  • Suresh Ramalingam, MD, associate professor, hematology and medical oncology, EWCI
  • Omer Kucuk, MD, professor, Hematology and Medical Oncology. EWCI
  • Haian-Fu, PhD, professor, Emory Department of Pharmacology
  • Shi-yong Sun, PhD, associate professor, EWCI
  • Taofeek Owonikoko, MD, assistant professor, EWCI
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.
# # #