April 2012

What's going on at Life Fest?

This year’s Life Fest in Chicago is shaping up to be a very informative event. We have plenty of general sessions, workshops and distinguished speakers to make your weekend worthwhile. Here is a current list of sessions with a few highlighted for you:

General Sessions:

GIST Update (Dr. Jonathan Trent)
Pediatric GIST Update (Dr. Lee Helman)
LRG Research Update (Dr. Brian Rubin)
Survival Strategies (Norman Scherzer/Jerry Call)
Clinical Trial Update (Jim Hughes)

Workshops:

Nutrition
Access to Treatment (obstacles including insurance, compassionate use, etc.)
Coping for Patients
Coping for Caregivers
GIST 101
Side Effects Management
Plasma & Mutational Testing

Distinguished Honoree: Dr. Lee Helman

Dr. Lee Helman earned his M.D at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1980. His internship and residency were completed at the Internal Medicine at Barnes Hospital Washington University. His fellowship training was at the National Cancer Institute, where he continues his research. In 1993, he became the head of the Molecular Oncology Section of the Pediatric Oncology Branch. He became the chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch in 1997 and was named a Deputy Director of the Center for Cancer, National Cancer Institute in 2001. In 2005, Dr. Helman was named Acting Scientific Director for Clinical Sciences, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute. Currently, Dr. Helman's laboratory focuses on three major themes related to the biology and treatment of pediatric sarcomas: the role of insulin-like growth factors on these tumors; identification of the molecular mechanisms of metastases using animal models of spontaneously metastatic tumors; and translation of these findings into treatments to improve the patient outcome.

General Session: Survival Strategies

There are a number of inter-related strategies that patients can use to optimize their therapy. It is very important to make sure your treatment is on the best possible track to keep GIST at bay for as long as possible. We will discuss some of these strategies including finding the right doctors, getting the right treatment, optimizing Gleevec treatment. Optimizing Gleevec treatment includes the following: knowing your mutation type; understanding dosage issues and finding your optimal dose based on the information that we have today; side effects management; taking Gleevec faithfully; and proper monitoring.

Workshop: Side-Effects Management

Side effects can have a negative impact on every day life. Learning how to manage side effects or in some cases, how to live with them, not only improves quality of life, but it also allows patients to be able to take these drugs at the proper dose and schedule, which is key to successful treatment. Pat Neal of MD Anderson will be hosting this workshop.