Not too long ago, only 38 percent of patients diagnosed with cancer
survived. Today, however, more than half of all cancer patients will survive.
From 1991 to 1995, the overall cancer death rate in the United States dropped
nearly 3 percent, the first sustained decline since national record keeping
began in the 1930s.
Researchers at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska
Medical Center campus and at other cancer centers designated by the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) across the country have been responsible for many
of the advancements made in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of
this disease.
To help celebrate the strides being made with cancer, a free public
education forum featuring four leading cancer experts will be held in Omahan
Thursday, May 22, and sent via satellite to nine other Nebraska communities.
The forum is sponsored by the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center and is called "Pathways
of Progress in Cancer." It will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m., CDT (6
to 7:30 p.m., MDT) at the UNMC College of Nursing’s Cooper Auditorium at
42nd Street and Dewey Avenue.
The forum will be broadcast live via satellite to: Lincoln, Norfolk,
Grand Island, Kearney, McCook, North Platte, Scottsbluff, Alliance and
Chadron. The forum will open with a videotaped message from Nebraska Sen.
Bob Kerrey.
Speakers will include: two former directors of the Eppley Institute
for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases — Henry Lemon, M.D., the first
director of the Eppley Institute and professor emeritus of UNMC’s department
of internal medicine, and Edward Bresnick, Ph.D., the fourth director of
the Eppley Institute and currently vice chancellor for research at the
University of Massachusetts Medical Center; Raymond Ruddon, M.D., Ph.D.,
the current director of the Eppley Institute and of the UNMC Eppley Cancer
Center and the Eppley Professor of Oncology; and James Armitage, M.D.,
president of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists and chairman
of UNMC’s department of internal medicine.
Dr. Armitage founded UNMC’s bone marrow transplant program and is considered
one of the world’s foremost experts in the treatment of lymphoma. At the
forum, participants will learn how far cancer research and treatment have
come in the past 25 years; where some of the new and promising research
is headed; and the critical need for government and private support for
research in this field.
"The passage of the National Cancer Act in 1971 infused federal
resources into the battle against cancer and created NCI-designated cancer
centers to concentrate on this area of research," said Dr. Ruddon.
"That act provided the impetus to propel cancer research to its
current level. In recognition of that important event, we’re excited to
help highlight the progress that has been made during these past 25 years
and to offer some insight into the new frontiers for cancer prevention,
diagnosis and care." Dr. Ruddon said strides are being made in studying
cancer on the molecular level and in the identification of genes that are
responsible for cancer.
In addition to finding the genes associated with certain kinds of cancer,
scientists are studying how to manipulate and correct defective genes and
how to harness the body’s own defenses to fight this disease. The forum
is free and open to the public. For more information, call (402) 559-4315.
Below is a list of the downlink sites including addresses and room numbers
where the forum will be aired:
ALLIANCE — Local Cable TV Channel 8 Public Access
CHADRON — Chadron State College, 1000 Main St., Scottsbluff Room
GRAND ISLAND — College Park, 3180 West Highway 34, Rooms 203-204
KEARNEY — Rural Health Education Distance Learning Research Center,
University of Nebraska Kearney, 1910 University Drive, Room 101
LINCOLN — Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, 1800 North 33rd
St., Studio 5
MCCOOK — McCook Community College, 1205 East 3rd St., Walsh Brady 130
NORFOLK — Northeast Community College, 801 Benjamin, Room 100A
NORTH PLATTE — Mid-Plains Community College, McDonald Belton Campus,
601 West State Farm Road, Room 141
SCOTTSBLUFF — Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Education Center,
4502 Ave. I, Room 208