Conference Details - Overview
Eighth International Congress on Gastrointestinal Malignancies
Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center
New York, DC
October 29-31, 2009
Conference Overview
CME-Certified Congress
The Eighth International Congress on Gastrointestinal Malignancies is dedicated to an in-depth discussion of the best care options for the comprehensive management of patients with early- or advanced-stage gastrointestinal malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma and pancreatic, gastroesophageal, and colorectal cancers. This highly interactive meeting will include didactic lectures, debates, and case-based clinical presentations to provide a forum for discussion as well as context for the integration of recent advances in the clinical and surgical management of these malignancies. The optimal integration of biologic agents, such as antiangiogenic and EGFR-targeted agents, into current standard regimens across multiple lines of therapy in these diseases will be addressed and debated. The role of surgery and perioperative therapeutic regimens, including chemotherapy and multimodality therapies, in the treatment of patients with early-stage disease will also be discussed. Current controversies in the application of emerging clinical trial findings to daily practice will be debated by expert opinion leaders. Practical strategies to minimize treatment-related toxicities, such as neuropathy and skin toxicities, will also be reviewed. Furthermore, the genetics and molecular biology underlying prognostic and predictive assays, novel therapeutics on the horizon, and relevant high-priority clinical trials that are currently enrolling patients will be discussed.
This educational program is directed toward medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists; gastroenterologists; internal medicine and primary care physicians; basic researchers and investigators; practitioners; and fellows interested in liver, pancreatic, gastric, esophageal, and colorectal cancers. Nurses, physician assistants, and other individuals interested in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies and colorectal cancer are also invited to attend.At the conclusion of this congress, you should be able to:
- Explain the rationale and targets of therapy at the molecular level for novel agents in the treatment of gastroesophageal cancers
- Assess combination chemotherapy and chemoradiation therapy approaches in the neoadjuvant and perioperative settings for the treatment of gastric and esophageal cancer
- Analyze the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy regimens alone or combined with targeted agents in advanced gastroesophageal cancer
- Evaluate the impact of targeted therapies on the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma
- Assess the potential impact of antiangiogenic and EGFR-targeted agents on the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy and outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer
- Discuss current concepts in the pathobiology and treatment of pancreatic cancer
- Interpret current issues and clinical data regarding surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer
- Assess biomarkers, such as KRAS, that are predictive of tumor response or toxicity profile for targeted and cytotoxic agents
- Utilize assay results to individualize treatment selection for patients with metastatic CRC
- Evaluate novel prognostic assays for their ability to assess recurrence risk in patients with localized CRC
- Assess recurrence risk factors for patients with stage II CRC to identify patients at increased risk of disease recurrence
- Evaluate standard of care adjuvant therapy options for individualized management of early-stage CRC
- Evaluate current standard of care therapy options for individualized management of metastatic CRC, including the use of antiangiogenic or EGFR-targeted agents in the first-line setting and beyond
- Assess differences in the efficacy and safety of fluoropyrimidine formulations as indicated by patient characteristics
- Evaluate the role of cytotoxic chemotherapies, targeted therapies, and surgery in the management of liver-only metastases in patients with CRC
- Identify specific adverse events associated with antiangiogenic or EGFR-targeted agents
- Review patient exposure to prior therapy with agents used in CRC and possible predisposition to treatment-related adverse events
- Evaluate treatment options, such as intermittent or continuous dosing, for patients experiencing acute and cumulative neuropathy due to platinum-containing therapy
- Identify advances in supportive care for treatment-associated toxicities in patients with CRC and other gastrointestinal malignancies
- Describe the rationale of investigational diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for gastrointestinal malignancies
- Assess the role of investigational treatment regimens and novel agents for gastrointestinal malignancies
- Identify appropriate patients for enrollment in clinical trials