New And Emerging Treatments For Metastatic Brain Tumors Added To Featured Topics At American Brain Tumor Association's Annual Conference

CHICAGO, July 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Metastatic brain tumors are the most common brain tumor in adults, with as many as 30 percent of cancer patients developing a brain metastasis. Experts offer a conservative estimate for the incidence of brain metastases as being 10 times greater than that of primary brain tumors. Cancers that commonly spread to the brain are lung (the most common), breast, colon, kidney, melanoma, thyroid and uterine.

Metastatic, or secondary brain tumors, arise from tumors that have spread to the brain from another or primary location in the body. They are becoming increasingly more common among cancer survivors as more effective treatments prolong life, thus giving the original cancer the opportunity to spread to the brain.

"There is a pressing need for all cancer survivors to be aware of the signs and symptoms of a metastatic brain tumor and to know the latest treatment options available to improve and extend quality of life," said Elizabeth Wilson, American Brain Tumor Association president and CEO. "Given the patient and caregiver burden associated with brain metastases, there is also an urgent obligation for bold and innovative efforts to ensure a brighter future for these patients and families." 

To address this growing and unmet need, the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) is bringing the nation's leading brain tumor experts together to address the impact of metastatic brain tumors, present the latest research and provide information on treatment options at its National Patient and Family Conference later this month in Chicago.

ABTA conference co-chair Elizabeth B. Claus, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Yale School of Public Health, will moderate a panel on The Challenge of Metastatic Brain Tumors on Friday, July 29. Panelists and topics include Paul Brown, MD, Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, on the use of radiation therapy in the treatment of metastatic brain tumors; Manmeet Ahluwalia, MD, FACP, Director, Brain Metastasis Research Program, Cleveland Clinic, on medical therapies for treating brain metastases; and Priscilla Brastianos, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, on the mechanisms that drive metastatic disease to the brain and related new therapies. The session will include ample time for conference attendees to ask questions of the experts.

There is also a focused breakout session on metastatic tumors being led by Dr. Ahluwalia on day two of the conference.     

The ABTA National Patient & Family Conference, "Precision Medicine and its Impact on Brain Tumors: Low Grade, High Grade and Metastatic," is being held at the Westin O'Hare in Chicago, July 29-30. To register for the conference, go to www.braintumorconference.org, call 800-886-ABTA (2282) or email info@abta.org. Advance registration is encouraged; onsite registration is available. Discounted hotel rooms are available until Monday, July 18.

To view the conference program and register visit www.braintumorconference.org, or call 800-886-ABTA (2282) or email info@abta.org.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN BRAIN TUMOR ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1973, the American Brain Tumor Association was the first and is the only national patient advocacy organization committed to funding brain tumor research and providing support and education programs for all tumor types for all ages.

CONTACT:Martha Carlos, mcarlos@abta.org, 773-577-8790

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SOURCE American Brain Tumor Association